Friday, September 16, 2011

Canada Post Pictorial Cancels Oil and Gas

On May 2, 2008, Canada Post issued a pair of commemorative stamps to celebrate two events in the Canadian the oil-and-gas industry : the country's first commercial oil well and first transcontinental pipeline.




First Day Covers







Pictorial Cancels

1. Gas-Related

Medicine Hat



One of the largest natural gas fields in North America is found in Medicine Hat. The fields were discovered accidentally in the early 1900's during Canadian Pacific Railway's search for water. their drills accidentally struck gas. In 1903, Medicine Hat City Council introduced a program to supply all residents with gas; the beginning of a City-owned utility. Today, Medicine Hat is one of only a few cities that produces and distributes its own natural gas and electricity.




Great Sand Hills, Saskatchewan

The Trans-Canada gas pipeline crosses the Great Sand Hills.




2. Oil-Related

On February 13, 1947, an Imperial Oil rig struck oil at Leduc, Alberta, south of Edmonton. The success, made after 133 failures, transformed Alberta's economy, leading to the discovery of huge oil and gas reservoirs. The pictorial cancels from several Alberta communities illustrate the significance of the oil industry in that province.

a) Oil Rigs

Leduc, Alberta


Leduc #1




Nisku, Alberta

Nisku is a hamlet and an industrial/business park in mid-way between Edmonton and Leduc. The Nisku Industrial Park, established in the 1970s, is Canada's largest and North America's second largest energy park.


Nisku Industrial Park




b) Pump Jacks


Pump jacks pump oil out of the ground and transfer it to storage tanks through pipelines.


Kirriemuir, Alberta




Scandia, Alberta




Altario, Alberta