Population: 717 (in 2006) Land Area: 8.18 sq. km Population Density: 87.7 per sq. km

The Village of Oil Springs is aptly named for its rich oil history. That's why there are two National Historic Sites here and in May, 2008 a new national postage stamp was issued to commemorate its oil pioneers of the 1850s.

One of the National Historic Sites is The Oil Museum of Canada, situated on the well that changed the world. On this site, James Miller Williams dug an oil well. In 1858, he created North America’s first commercial oil business and a new global oil industry burst into being. Visitors can learn how the Black Gold of the Oil Springs Boom was first celebrated as lamp oil and used to make asphalt. The story of Canada's first gusher of 1862 is featured and a great deal more. Using both indoor and outdoor exhibits, the museum shows off a wealth of artifacts. They range from kerosene lamps to the exotic mementos brought home by the Foreign Drillers who took their expertise around the world to open new oil fields in the late 1800s.

The second National Historic Site here is Fairbank Oil Properties, where four generations have been pumping oil since 1861, making it the oldest oil producing family in the world. Today it still produces 24,000 barrels of oil annually and it still uses the pioneer methods. This preserved pocket of history is dotted by life-sized metal sculptures depicting the oil pioneers at work.

Website: http://www.oilsprings.ca/