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Follow four generations of Stafford men through the pages of Alberta's Oil History.

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Mr. and Mrs. George Stafford
1906
Waterton Lakes, National Park, Alberta, Canada
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Palmer Stafford
December, 1895
Petrolia, Ontario, Canada
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GEORGE PALMER STAFFORD 1836- ?
Engineer

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George Stafford
December, 1895
Petrolia, Ontario, Canada
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GEORGE FRANKLIN STAFFORD(George) --
1877- 1945
Driller

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Both George Palmer Stafford and George
Franklin Stafford began their careers in oil working for Fairbanks Petroleum in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada's first commercial oil.
The two came out to what is now southern Alberta and made their lives in the beautiful Waterton Lakes area. Kootenai Brown, famous guide and one of the first men in the area to search for oil became good friends with the Staffords.

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Mountain Vista at Waterton Lake
1903
Waterton Lakes, National Park, Alberta, Canada
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A Bold Claim
1901
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Rocky Mountain Development Company
12 February 1901
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Waterton Lakes Oil Camp
1903
Waterton Lakes, National Park, Alberta, Canada

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The Rocky Mountain Development Company was formed by John Lineham, Allan Patrick and John Leeson. With George Franklin Stafford as a driller, they began drilling wells in the Waterton area in 1901 and struck oil at 1024 feet in 1902. The well produced 300 barrles per day, and the area was deemed Oil City. There were big plans for Oil City, but these plans disipated along with the oil by 1904.

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Monument for the First Oil Well in Western Canada
1968
Waterton Lakes, National Park, Alberta, Canada
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"Further explorations in the Waterton area proved fruitless but the success, brief as it was, of this well encouraged a widespread search which led to the discovery of the Turner Valley Field in 1914."

George Franklin Stafford went on to drill wells in the Peace River area, whereas Turner Valley would be his son's destination.