field was bought in the State of Montana, immediately 

 south of the Alberta boundary. 



This field now includes two of the largest producing 

 wells in the country- the Frantz and the Decker-Collins 

 yielding 2,000 and 2,800 barrels a day respectively. 



The significance of these discoveries to prospective 

 Canadian fields will be discussed later. 



On top of this we can to-day point to further confir- 

 mation in the important oil strike in the Canadian North- 

 west at the Imperial Oil Company's well, Fort Norman, 

 Lat. 65 degrees, Long. 126 degrees, on the Mackenzie 

 River. The oil, at first reports of the new well in early 

 October, 1920, was reported as flowing through a six-inch 

 casing and the yield (unconfirmed) as over one thousand 

 barrels a day. 



To-day (November, 1921) ajthough the flow from the 

 original Fort Norman gusher is reported to have fallen 

 somewhat low, it is the general opinion in well-informed 

 circles that likely areas in this territory (much of which are 

 as yet unexplored) undoubtedly contain oil-bearing struc- 

 tures. The general attitude towards this field to-day is 

 neither unjustifiably optimistic nor is it pessimistic. The 

 field is handicapped by its distance from civilization and 

 transportation difficulties. It nevertheless has great 

 possibilities and is worthy of the fullest exploration. 

 Owing to the remoteness of this field it is not to be expected 

 that definite results of the work of the season 1921 will be 

 received until the spring of 1922. 



Oil Fields North and South of Alberta 



Thus, we have to-day actually proven oil fields at the 

 northern and southern extremities of the great settled 

 region of Alberta now served by transportation. 



What are the prospects of oil in this region ? They are 

 almost removed from the sphere of prediction to that of 

 certainty. 



Geologists and oilmen have long recognized and agreed 

 upon the similarity of the Wyoming and Montana for- 

 mations with those of Alberta. With the bringing in of 

 the Montana gushers referred to above, oil has now been 

 proved from Wyoming almost up to the International 

 boundary. The oil in these two great producing Montana 

 wells undoubtedly originated from the Devonian forma- 

 tions which extend throughout the whole of the vast Cana- 

 dian territory to the north up to the newly proven field 

 in the far Northwest. 



Evidence of Gas Fields 



The problem resolves itself into locating the structures 

 favorable for trapping the oil and much work has and is 

 being done to this end. Every producing gas field is in 

 itself a potential oil field, and, as further evidence, the 

 discovery of the great Albertan gas yielding fields (such 

 as the Medicine Hat) have been followed by similar dis- 

 coveries within 30 miles of the International boundary at 

 Havre, Montana, producing from precisely the same sand- 

 stones as at Medicine Hat. 



The small producing oil field at Dingman, southwest 

 of Calgary where the contortion of strata by the moun- 

 tain uplift has greatly limited the area of producing fields 

 the vast bituminous seepages known as the Athabaska tar 

 sands further north at Fort McMurray, the numerous gas 

 wells developed throughout the country, extending 300 

 miles east of the Rockies and 700 miles north from the 

 International boundary, are all contributing evidence. 



This evidence in recent years has attracted the attention 

 of the biggest oil interests in the world. 



Reviewing the work of 1921 season we find that notable 

 and encouraging progress has been made. The Imperial 

 Oil Company are the principal operators, their activities 

 covering the drilling of 14 wells widely scattered over 

 Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Peace River and the 

 Northwest territories from the International Boundary 

 almost to the Arctic Circle. 



The depth of their wells as reported at this date are as 

 follows : 



Boundary 2,180 feet 



Muddy Lake 2,037 



Misty Hills 2,088 



Twin Butte No. 1 2,746 



Twin Butte No. 2 3,820 



Willow Creek 2,141 



Black Diamond No. 3 2,050 



Pouce Coupe 1,730 



Coalspur and Irma are two new locations recently 

 started, and in addition the original Fort Norman well is 

 being deepened and three new wells are being drilled in this 

 territory located at Bear Island, Link Claim and Bluefish 

 Creek. The Pouce Coupe well in the Peace River district is 

 perhaps the most promising of them. At a depth of 1 ,700 feet 

 a strong flow of wet gas was encountered, and whilst no oil 

 has yet (at November, 1921) been struck, the indications 

 are considered hopeful, and as soon as the gas-producing 

 vein has been cased off, drilling will be continued. 



The Imperial Oil Company will continue their work at 

 all locations next season until the presence of oil in com- 

 mercial quantities has either been proved or disproved. 



The British Columbia Government deserve credit for 

 having taken a broad view of the importance to the country 

 as a whole of proving up our possible oil structures, and, 

 following a careful survey and report by Mr. .John A. 

 Dresser in 1920, have during the season 1921 carried out 

 exploratory drilling at the locations recommended by him 

 on the upper waters of Parrel Creek which empties into 

 the Peace River between Hudson's Hope and the Halfway. 

 We understand that three wells have been drilled and that 

 gas has been encountered in each this drilling is being 

 prosecuted on scientific lines following up structures which 

 have been defined and will certainly provide information 

 of the greatest value. 



Difficulties of Defining Structures 



Elsewhere along the Peace River drilling has been 

 continued on some wells, and though water has been en- 

 countered at most locations, there is at least one well in 

 which the showings are of a highly encouraging nature. 



Along the foothills of South Western Alberta and at 

 other points other interests have been energetically explor- 

 ing oil possibilities. 



A realization of the magnitude of the country to be 

 covered and the difficulties of defining the geological 

 structures is necessary in order that we may properly grasp 

 the situation. With such realization we need feel no pessi- 

 mism because the work of a brief season has failed to dis- 

 close commercial oil fields of magnitude. In view of the 

 information obtained and the work that is being steadily 

 and carefully carried on, we can confidently repeat the 

 assertion which we have previously published that Canada 

 will, in the not distant future, become an important con- 

 tributor to the world's oil supply. 



A Forest Policy for Canada 



By Edward Beck, Secretary Canadian Pulp and 

 Paper Association 



The Canadian forestry problem, as I see it, resolves 

 itself into two divisions, the one Federal, the other provin- 

 cial. The Federal Government, as the owner of thirty- 

 nine forest reserves in Western Canada, covering an area 

 of nearly 35,000 square miles in British Columbia, Alberta, 

 Saskatchewan and Manitoba, has a problem in forest 

 administration all its own to contend with. The fact that 

 the Western Provinces have not relinquished hope of being 

 able to persuade the Dominion to surrender control of their 

 natural resources and to place them in this respect on a par 

 with Eastern Canada, raises a question about the perma- 

 nency of any forest policy that may be applied from Ottawa 

 to the Western Provinces, and until that issue is settled 

 there must necessarily be some uncertainty no matter how 

 pressing may be the need for a fixed and determined line 

 of action. 



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