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An Environmental History Of Oil Development In Southwestern Ontario, 1858-1885, Robert Armstrong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis explores how the local population of Enniskillen, (including the towns of Oil Springs and Petrolia) Southwestern Ontario, reacted to the environmental consequences of oil development between 1858 and 1885. The inception of Canadian’s oil industry in 1858 subsequently resulted in the contamination of the river systems, the pollution of the air, and the creation of new hazards in the region. The pollution led to water scarcity, the odour of oil permeating the air, and the threat of oil fires. In order to continue living in the oil region, the local population adapted, either by normalizing the new conditions …