Imperial Oil

Imperial Oil was formed in 1880 by sixteen southwestern-Ontario refiners. It produced, refined and sold petroleum, with plants at Sarnia, Vancouver, Montreal, Dartmouth and elsewhere, and later Strathcona. It found oil at Norman Wells in 1920 and at Leduc in 1947, and created Interprovincial Pipe Line in 1949. Products went out under the Esso name.

Leduc opened modern western Canadian oil. Imperial supplied fuel across the country and organized the first long-haul crude line from Alberta to the lakes.

Why it mattered

Leduc opened modern western Canadian oil development. Imperial supplied Canadian fuel markets nationwide and organized the first long-haul crude line from Alberta to the Great Lakes. It remains one of Canada’s largest integrated oil companies.

Now

Still operating as Imperial Oil Limited. Standard Oil took a majority in 1898; ExxonMobil still holds most of the shares. The head office moved from Toronto to Calgary in 2004. Imperial bought Texaco Canada in 1989-90.

Still operating