Online Lecture: The Railways that Spurred Early Oil’s Expansion

Join us for “The Railways that Spurred Early Oil’s Expansion”, an online lecture on January 19!

Before the arrival of the railroads local growth and development in Lambton County was at a standstill, the marshy land was not attractive to new settlers. This all changed in 1858 with the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railroad and the first commercial oil well dug by James Miller Williams starting production in Oil Springs Ontario. The Black Gold Rush started attracting men from all over to seek their fortunes in the booming oil industry. The problems arise from lack of infrastructure on how to get this valuable product out of the swamps of Lambton. In this talk we will look at how the booming oil industry and railroads are intrinsically linked in Lambton County spurring development from the building of the private Petrolia Spur line to the St Clair Tunnel to the USA.  

SOLD OUT!

Please email manager@trha.ca to be added to the waitlist.

Tickets for this event are free, although registration is required. Please note this event has a limited capacity. A waitlist will be enabled if the event space sells out.

Attendees will get access to our exclusive Zoom meeting room, where they can engage directly with the presenter and museum historians in a post-lecture Q&A. The event will begin at 7pm Eastern Standard Time, and will end at approximately 8:30pm EST.

ABOUT CHRISTINA SYDORKO

Christina is a dedicated educator who strives to create exciting and informative educational experiences. She has an Honour’s Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Education from Windsor University with subject specialization in History and Geography. Christina spent 15 years teaching in the Lambton Kent District School Board before moving to be the full time Educational Programs Coordinator at the Oil Museum of Canada, National Historic Site in 2017. She has spearheaded the creation of the Travelling Trunks educational kits and virtual education programs at the museum with a focus on fact based education. Christina is also the recipient of the 2021 Award of Excellence in Programming from the Ontario Museum Association for virtual programs and the Lambton County Innovation Award for 2021.  Christina hopes to encourage a new generation of young people to find the wonder and exciting opportunities in the physical world around them.

ABOUT THE TORONTO RAILWAY MUSEUM (TRM)

The Toronto Railway Museum (TRM) brings people together by telling stories of Toronto’s railway heritage. The Museum is located in the heart of downtown Toronto and is typically open year-round. TRM presents exhibits, tours, educational programs and publications that broaden the understanding and appreciation of Toronto’s rich railway history. TRM is committed to telling the stories of the railways, and welcoming conversations of its varied experiences through its lecture series, exhibits and integrated programming with a mission to learn from the past to make the future better.