Turner Valley Gas Plant

Long-term Interpretation

The themes of the field, the product and the plant provide a framework for interpretation activities at the Turner Valley Gas Plant.

Tours and other interpretation activities at the Turner Valley Gas Plant will be based on three broad themes: the field, the product and the plant.

  • The Field

    This section examines how the field was created, the state of oil and gas exploration from the technological, philosophical, regulatory, and business perspectives leading up to 1914, and life in the Turner Valley area just before the big strike.

  • The Product

    This section explores the issues surrounding the production of a marketable product from its state as a natural resource to commercial delivery. It will include discussion of the economic impact of this activity, the behaviour of consumers, and conservation and regulation concerns. Material from all producers working in the field will add context to the specific story of the historic gas plant site.

  • The Plant

    This section examines the Turner Valley Gas Plant in detail, from the factors that determined building location on the plant site to the living conditions in its working class neighbourhood in Poverty Flats.

In addition, there are several themes of national significance that will be addressed on the site:

  • Exploration

    The exploration message is represented by the Dingman No. 1 discovery well on the site.

  • Processing and transportation

    The processing and transportation network is represented by the gas plant itself and the fact that it formed the beginning of the gas pipeline from the Turner Valley field to Calgary.

  • Entrepreneurship

    W. S. Herron, the discoverer of the Dingman well, and Imperial Oil represent the two sides of individual and corporate entrepreneurship.

  • Conservation and the Regulatory Impact of Government

    The gas plant was also closely associated with the conservation issues surrounding the regulation of gas production. This culminated in the government directive of 1943 that led to Royalite divesting itself of direct control of natural gas collection, processing and distribution.

This thematic approach respects the integrity and significance of the plant site while providing a broader understanding of the role of the oil and gas industry in the history of Alberta and Canada.


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