Shale oil manufacturing will be discussed during a virtual talk, hosted by the Oil Museum of Canada.
Craigleith Heritage Depot Curator Alessia Farris will talk about the geological formation that allowed for the creation of shale oil, which will lead to a discussion about Ontario’s only successfully producing shale oil manufacturing plant (Craigleith Shale Oil).
"This short-lived venture operated near Collingwood from 1859 to 1863 and produced oil through a process of heating bituminous shale rock in retort furnaces," read a media release. "The resulting product was then refined into two grades of oil used for both lamps and mechanical lubrication."
The process was too expensive to continue once the crude oil industry boomed near Oil Springs and Petrolia.
“Craigleith Shale Oil presents a fascinating example of an early competitor to the oil industry that began here in Oil Springs in 1858,” said Educational Program Coordinator Christina Sydorko. “It is interesting to consider that innovators were trying to solve the same problems –creating light and lubricants for machinery – in parallel using similar materials yet entirely different methods.”
The virtual talk: Stuck in a Rock: Oil Industry in Craigleith will be held on Thursday, May 25, beginning at 7 p.m.
The virtual event is free but pre-registration is required online.