Built in 1903, this is still the largest pumping rig
in the world. It has been operating almost continuously
for nearly a century. Initially, the rig was powered by
steam. Later it used an internal combustion engine and
finally, an electric motor. The rig takes its name from
the man who erected it, Frederick Ardell Fitzgerald, the
first president of Imperial Oil Ltd. Fitzgerald had owned
this site and in 1921 Fred Hamlin bought it and operated
22 wells here. By 1972 only five wells were producing
oil. Murray Bradley was the last private owner and sold
the site to the Town of Petrolia. Today, 20 wells are
producing 220 barrels of oil each month. Most wells here
are approximately 148 metres (487 feet) deep. The deepest
well ever drilled in Petrolia is about 149 metres (490
feet) and it's located on the southern border of Petrolia
Discovery. In the Petrolia area, the rock which bears
the oil is over 4 metres (14 feet) thick.