Slave Lake, thence westward across the lake and down the
Mackenzie River to Norman Wells.

Before 1942, water transport was provided in the main
by the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Department of Trans-
port, and by the Northern Transportation Company, a
subsidiary of Eldorado Mines. In order to negotiate the
sandbars in the Athabaska and Slave Rivers and at the
entrance to the Mackenzie River, the vessels used were
all of shallow draught. The older and larger craft were
paddle-wheelers and the smaller ones were screw-propelled.
Freight was carried on barges which were pushed by the
parent ship.

When work on the Canol Project began, the available
boats, barges, and dock facilities proved inadequate. The
-amount of freight to be moved was large, and the lakes are
open only from June to October. The United States
Army imported light pontoon barges, heavy outboard
motors, small power-boats, and tugs from the Mississippi.
But these vessels could neither cope with the freight nor
negotiate the lakes. The problem was solved by shipping
prefabricated barges and diesel tugs to Waterways and
there assembling them in shipyards built during the latter
part of 1942.

Norman Wells was served during the winter by tractor
trails. The principal winter route runs from Grimshaw,
just west of the town of Peace River, to Hay River on
Great Slave Lake, and thence northwest to Norman Wells.
Another trail was opened from Fort Nelson on the Alaska
Highway to join the preceding route about 30 miles north-
east of Fort Simpson. A third winter trail runs from
Waterways through Fort Smith to Hay River.

Before the advent o the Canol Project, aeroplanes
equipped with floats or skis were used in the Northwest
Territories. This type of aircraft was inadequate to meet
the greatly expanded demands fo: air service under the
Project. Eight flight strips were accordingly constructed
from Fort McMurray to Norman Wells. Built by the
United States Government, these strips were later purchased
by the Canadian Government. The continuous air service,
made possible by the flight strips, was an important factor
in the transportation of personnel, mail, and light freight.

Concurrent with these improvements in transportation,
development work had been proceeding at Norman Wells.
By the end of 1942, sixteen new wells had been drilled,
and up to March 8, 1945, when drilling operations under
the Canol Project ceased, sixty wells out of a total of sixty-
seven drilled had been brought to production. Imperial
Oil, Limited had previously drilled four producing wells and
seven exploratory wells. To meet this vast expansion in
production, a large tank farm was constructed at Camp
Canol across the river from Norman Wells. Crude oil and
oil from the refinery were pumped to storage through
4inch pipelines. As of March 8, 1945, total production of
the field was 1,977,646 barrels of crude oil, o° which
1,858,751 barrels were produced under the Canol Project.

During the last few months of operation, the average
daily production was about 4,300 barrels of crude oil.

The Norman Wells field has now been outlined by
drilling and is calculated to comprise approximately 4,325
acres, of which 370 acres are on the northeast bank of the
Mackenzie River, 462 on Bear Island, 1,473 on Goose
Island, and 2,020 under the river. Of this last area, 840
acres are estimated to be accessible. The potential pro-
duction of the field is difficult to calculate with any accuracy,
since total recovery will depend on such expedients as
directional drilling, acid treatment, and artificial gas drive.
Estimates of the recoverable oil vary from 30 million barrels
to 63 million barrels. The latest estimate shows a reserve
of 36-25 million barrels. Norman Wells is thu com
parable to the average major field in the United States.

The Camp Canol-Whitehorse Pipeline and Road

The laying of a pipeline, together with its accompanying
road, across the Mackenzie Mountains was perhaps the
mest notable engineering achievement of the whole Canol
Project. The Mackenzie Range has been characterized
as the greatest mountain group in Canada. In traversing
this formidable barrier between the Mackenzie basin and
the Yukon basin, mountain streams, glac al ice, and extreme
severity of weather were only a few of the difficulties

that had to be faced.

Work was started on the road and pipeline early in
1943. The first 25 miles of the route pass through an area of
deep muskeg before reaching the Carcajou River, a stream
that varies seasonally from a shallow and narrow creek
to a rushing torrent, 500 yards wide. Beyond the river,
the ranges of the Mackenzie Mountains rise steep and
rocky to present further problems. The most rugged part
of this mountainous region extends for about 100 miles
and is almost devoid of vegetation. The hill slopes are
steep and are covered with talus. The streams flow in
deep U-shaped valleys, and, except during periods of flood,
the flow is distributed among many channels. Through
this forbidding wilderness, the route threads in and out
among mountain peaks, and from an initial elevation of
less than 300 feet at Camp Canol ascends to a maximum of
5,860 feet at Mile 86. The road and pipeline then descend
to the Yukon Plateau, which they cross in a southwesterly
direction to reach Johnson’s Crossing on the Alaska High-
way at the north end of Teslin Lake. From that point, the
pipeline follows the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse.

The line consists of 4-inch pipe for 457 miles from Camp
Canol and of 6inch pipe for the remaining distance of 120
miles to Whitehorse. A high-pressure pumping station
was installed at Camp Canol with booster stations at nine
points along the line. Welding of the joints in the line
was completed in February, 1944, and oil first reached
Whitehorse on April 16. A pumping rate of about
3,500 barrels per day was maintained.

141}