Have you ever found something and thought to yourself, this might be worth a lot of money?
Well, for a certain farmer in the 1920s, that thought never crossed his mind.
Many Lloydminster residents might be familiar with the story of Charlie the farmer, the guy who struck oil for the first time in the border city.
It all started on his farm in 1925 where Charles Martin Marren, or Charlie to the locals, was worried about his cows having enough water to drink.
Luckily for Marren, a 160-foot well would find water and it was exactly what he needed for those warm summer months when the slew dried up.
Fortunately, or unfortunately for the farmer, the cows refused to drink from the well.
In 1926, The Lloydminster Times reported Marren didn’t think anything of it. It wouldn’t be until a visitor from Edmonton took a sample of the water and sent it out to the University of Alberta to be analyzed.
Now, I’m not always the most brilliant guy, but one thing I always find myself doing is asking why.
If my cows weren’t drinking from a brand new well I just dug up, I’d assume it was poisoned or something. I obviously couldn’t test it myself as I am a writer not a scientist, but still, I would want the why.
When the test results of the water came back it was found to be 75 per cent petroleum distillate. Marren struck gold, or oil, in this case.
This sent The Times into an excited frenzy and spurred an oil rush in Lloydminster.
In local drilling, natural gas was struck in the 1930s and eventually, Husky came to town in the 1940s with its refinery. Heavy oil would be utilized to create asphalt amongst other things.
I just think of how this whole story could’ve been different. Imagine a world where Marren doesn’t think anything of the water, and no one recommends getting it tested.
I’m guessing oil would’ve still been found in the modern age, but Lloydminster would look a lot different.
It would be less likely a refinery would come to town, meaning the surrounding industry would be largely focused on agriculture.
It all makes for a fascinating tale that started with a cow.
Read more: Column: Emergency rescue in Lloydminster
