Canadian Energy Museum

Coming Soon! Season Opener at the Canadian Energy Museum, home of the Leduc #1!

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Back in 1858, on July 29, the first successful oil well was established in Oil Springs, Ontario. James Miller Williams was intending to tap into a groundwater reserve when, just after 20 meters of drilling, he hit a free standing oil reserve. This marked the birth of the Canadian petroleum industry.

Back in 1920 on the 23 of August the most northern well of the time struck oil. The site was at Norman Wells in the Northwest Territory. This belt buckle was cast in honor of the event. It was donated by Rick and Carolyn VanEe

Thank you to our summer staff!! As of Thursday this week, our team is officially off to greener pastures.
Thanks to a Canadian Summer Jobs grant, from April to August CEM had two new members. One helping run our collections department, and one running our programming/admin departments. Some highlights include: accessioning over 500 items (almost x4 more than we hoped!), updating all our field trip programs, and running our social media!
We appreciate all the work they've done and wish them luck in their future endeavors!

Identifying Orphan Item!
Item 2025.0.115 is a commemorative pin for the 45th anniversary. This item is orphaned because we don't know when we received it. For this pin, we're curious if it was an exclusive for society members or a collectable?
Item's Hub page: https://hub.catalogit.app/canadian-energy-museum/folder/entry/169870d0-6be4-11f0-a59d-ebc75ef61b50?query=orphan

Today's the day! Tickets are still available for drive-in movie at CEM.
This picture was the front of a program for a Desk & Derrick Convention in 1972. A different kind of show than you'll see tonight, but fun nonetheless!
For more on the program: https://hub.catalogit.app/canadian-energy-museum/folder/entry/c7a86990-ee42-11ef-986a-9de70dc2c2e6?query=theatre
For tickets: https://www.devon.ca/Government/News-Publications/Community-News/devons-75th-anniversary-block-party-weekend-august-8-10

Ever wondered what’s upstairs? Welcome to our collections rooms! This is where our team does cataloguing, accessioning, deaccessioning, and upkeep.
We have our storage room, processing room, and library. These rooms are closed to the public to ensure the collection is kept safe, but anyone can email our collections team to request access! We’ve had people come looking for everything from photos of family to information on 20th century drilling companies.
Check out our collection page:
https://www.canadianenergymuseum.ca/our-collection

Identifying Orphan Items: To get ready for 75th Weekend, here are items 2020.11.88 & 2020.11.89
These are postcard photos of Devon's Main Street. The first photo is before any signs went up on the new buildings. The 2nd photo shows what moved in: a billiards hall, an RBC, and Delair's.
These items showcase the 3rd type of orphan collection we have. We know what an object is and it's age, but not who donated it.

1st photo info: https://hub.catalogit.app/canadian-energy-museum/folder/entry/76a0fad0-dd5a-11ed-a174-3b8f11b0d6fa?query=orphan
2nd photo info: https://hub.catalogit.app/canadian-energy-museum/folder/entry/0d1e8d40-dd58-11ed-a174-3b8f11b0d6fa?query=orphan

Announcement: This Saturday Aug 2, the museum will be opening late at 11:00 a.m.
Now for item 2025.0.22!
This is an Imperial Oil/Esso branded digital clock. Same as other branded items, we're curious how someone would acquire this clock. A gag gift for chronically late employees? A door prize for events? Let us know by commenting below or by email!
Info on the clock: https://hub.catalogit.app/canadian-energy-museum/folder/entry/a33a2840-0414-11f0-a291-77739919706b?query=clock

Spend a night at the Leduc Number 1 Campground! Located right in front of the museum, our campground sits at the base of the original derrick used to find oil here. Just 20 minutes from the airport. Bookings done online: https://www.canadianenergymuseum.ca/campground

Identifying Orphan Items!
Today we've got item 2023.6.6, a Swiss army knife. Many of our orphan objects aren't photos. In these cases, we don't know who donated them or the story behind the object.
For this knife, we're curious how someone would get a Shell branded Swiss army knife. Was it a gift for retiring? A trinket you could buy at a gift shop?
As always, you can comment below or send us an email!

Our field trips have officially been updated to match the new Alberta curriculum! We now match the science program implemented in 2024, and the social studies program for 2025/26. Head to our website to check out the new break downs for each trip!
https://www.canadianenergymuseum.ca/school-tour