On May 14, 1914, wet natural gas sprayed out of the well bore at Dingman No. 1 in Turner Valley and changed the nature of Alberta forever.
This discovery of petroleum led to the creation of Alberta’s first natural gas plant, starting the modern era of oil and gas exploration and processing.
The Turner Valley plant was established to process the oil and gas found in Turner Valley. It was the birthplace of Alberta’s petrochemical industry and, by undergoing decades of change and development, remained one of Canada’s most significant petroleum processing facilities. The buildings and equipment reflect the evolution of natural gas processing and the technological changes in the oil and gas sector.
The Turner Valley gas plant is a Provincial Historic Resource and a National Historic Site of Canada. Its story is a significant aspect of Alberta’s development and of Canada’s natural resources history. The Turner Valley gas plant, western Canada’s first natural gas processing and refining facility. On May 14, 1914, after more than a year of drilling, the Dingman No. 1 well found a petroleum reservoir deep under Turner Valley. This was Alberta’s first major oil and gas discovery.
