The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-04-04
RUSH TO OIL FIELD
LIKE GOLD STAMPEDE
NORTHERN CANADA EXPERT
ENCING A DUPLICATION OF
THE KLONDIKE RUSH.

EDMONTON, ALTA.--Hundreds of
prospectors are on the line in the
Peace River and Athabasca country
ready for the big stampede to the oil
fields at Fort Norman on the Mack
enzie River. They have only a little
while to wait. The first warm spell
that clears the trails and frees the
rivers of ice will. unlock the North to
the pell-mell thrush. The migration
of get-rich quick adventurers from all
over the world, is expected to be we'll
under way by the middle of May.
Peace River Landing and Fort Nc
Murray, will be the basis for the ban
ANA track. The former is the termin-
us of the Canadian Pacific north
country branch and the latter of the
Alberta & Great Waterways Railway.
The route the argonauts will follow
from Peace River Landing is by
steamboat to Fort Vermillion, then
across country to Hay River, down
that stream to Great Slave Lake and
into the Mackenzie River to Fort
Norman. From Fort McMurray there
is an unbroken water route by way of
A~thabasca River, Athabasca Lake,
Slave River, Great Slave Lake, and
the Mackenzie. Both routes include
several long portages.
Beyond Peace River and Fort Nc
Murray, the p~rospectors must depend
upon their own supplies. Royal
Northwest Mounted Police are patrol
ling the country and will prevent any
party from starting northward unless
amply supplied with provisions. This
is a necessary precaution as it is eS-
timated at least 10000 men will be
living in a tent city at Fort Norman
in a few months and the oil fields are
far beyond the agricultural frontiers.
Every train going north from Ed
monitor is crowded and 900 tons of
machinery and supplies are at Peace
River and Fort McMurray awaiting
shipment to the oil fields.
All the great oil interests of the
world will engage in active drilling
operations in the new fields. The I'M
perial Oil Company, Canadian subsi-
diary of Standard Oil, whose 1000
barrel well struck last September
started the excitement, has four other
drilling rigs at Peace River to ship in.
will be transported by the COM
pany's two airplanes. The planes al
ready have carried 1000 gallons of
gasoline to Great Slave Lake where
a relay station has been established.
In addition to the great oil COM
many independent operators
will be on the ground.
All the steamboat transportation In
northern waters has been booked to
the limit in advance. This will make
t necessary for most of the prospec-
,ors to go in on their own. Many Will
20 by foot and p~ack-horse or by wag-
IN. The majority will set out by
water in their canoe or flat boat
Scores of boats are now in process OF
The canoe vOyagers will be
bile to make the entire trip in their
craft but the flat-boat par
les must build other boats beyond
he portages. These difficulties will
nake the journey long, toilsome and
expensive. Companies have been
.rmed to operate passenger lines of
irplanes and dirigible balloons but :
hese services are not expected to be
/ operation until late in the season. I
The oil fields are believed by ge-
to be potentially the richest
i the world. The ~oil-bearing rock
said to underlie the entire Macken-
ie River basin from Great Slave
axe to the Arctic Ocean with a
idth of from thirty to fifty miles on
ther side of the stream. A govern
jent geologist recently expressed the
elief that a we'll 1000 feet deep
rilled anywhere in this vast extent
country would yield as abundant
ow of oil as the pioneer well at Fort
Hundreds of claims have been filed
l at Edmonton during the winter.
any claimants, it is said, are in the
nploy Of the big oil companies that
i've in this way blanketed large
'eas. A large number of men I'M
lestonably will go into the oil region
stake claims for the express pur-
,se Of selling out. What luck these
tile fellows will have is problemat-
al. They may get rich or they may
broke. It all depends on whether
e oil fields live up to expectations.
they do, millionaires will be made
ernight.