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On Feb. 13, 1947, the Leduc oilfield struck a gusher for the first time, sending a fireball of flames 15 metres into the air. (Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre) The towering oil derrick, which has served as a landmark for visitors to Edmonton for decades, is returning to the very spot it stuck oil and changed Alberta’s history forever. Leduc No. 1 has been a fixture of the Gateway Park visitor centre since 1987. This week it was dismantled so it can be re-erected about 30 kilometres away at the Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre south of Devon. The visitors centre is being torn down and the city was keen to find the derrick a new home. Bargain price, big job As Jan Becker, executive director at the discovery centre explained, negotiations went smoothly. “I paid a whole dollar for it,” Becker said in an interview with CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM. “Although I probably should have negotiated for a negative amount. “We’re probably looking upwards of $400,000 dollars [in moving costs] when it’s all said and done.” The Leduc No. 1 oil derrick has been a fixture of the Gateway Park visitor centre since 1987. (Google Images) While moving […]
