# Bitumount

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bitumount
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bitumount.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitumount
> Source revision: 1305492003
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Provincial Historic Resource in Alberta, Canada

Bitumount Bitumount in 2017 Interactive map of Bitumount 57°23′10.41″N 111°38′41.57″W / 57.3862250°N 111.6448806°W / 57.3862250; -111.6448806 Type Provincial Historic Resource Location Alberta, Canada Nearest city Fort McMurray History Founder R.C. Fitzsimmons[1] Built 1930s, 1940s Built for Oil sands development Site notes Current use Abandoned Owner Province of Alberta

**Bitumount** is an abandoned industrial site on the east bank of the [Athabasca River](/source/Athabasca_River) about 90 kilometres (60 mi) north of [Fort McMurray](/source/Fort_McMurray) in northeastern [Alberta](/source/Alberta), Canada. Between 1925 and the 1950s, it was the site of early attempts to extract [bitumen](/source/Bitumen) from the [Athabasca oil sands](/source/Athabasca_oil_sands) that contributed to the development of commercially viable extraction processes.[2] The site closed permanently in 1958. Some of the structures at Bitumont were declared Provincial Historic Resources in 1974. As of 2017, the buildings are deteriorating.[3]

## History

Work at the site commenced after [Robert Cosmas Fitzsimmons](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Cosmas_Fitzsimmons&action=edit&redlink=1) incorporated the International Bitumen Company Limited in 1925. Fitzsimmons named the site Bitumount, and by 1930 he had constructed a small oil extraction plant there.[1] It was situated on the edge of the [Athabasca River](/source/Athabasca_River), which was the major transportation corridor in the region at that time.[4] The raw oil sand was crushed and heated in hot water, and the oily substance that rose to the surface was skimmed off.[5]

The company made its first sale of bitumen in [Edmonton](/source/Edmonton) in 1930, and the *[Edmonton Journal](/source/Edmonton_Journal)* announced that "those shipments of absolutely pure bitumen are the first and second and only shipments in the history of McMurray tar sands to be made for commercial purposes and it certainly (augurs) well for the future development of the much talked of tar sands of northern Alberta."[6]

Fitzsimmons constructed a small [upgrader](/source/Upgrader) and other facilities at Bitumount in 1937-1938, but oil prices remained low during the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression) and International Bitumen became insolvent.[6]

In 1943, the company was sold to Oil Sands Limited, which was owned by [Lloyd Champion](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lloyd_Champion&action=edit&redlink=1).[7] Champion entered into an agreement with the Alberta provincial government to develop a new, larger-scale separation plant. The new plant was built, but Champion failed to provide his share of the funding. The province became the sole investor and, under the direction of [Dr. Karl A. Clark](/source/Karl_Clark_(chemist)), successful tests of Clark's hot-water process, which was much more efficient that the process used by Fitzsimmons, were completed in 1948/49. After that, the plant operated only intermittently, and it closed permanently in 1958. Interest in the Athabasca oil sands had declined, primarily due to the discovery of conventional [petroleum](/source/Petroleum) at [Leduc](/source/Leduc_No._1) in 1947.[3][6]

In 1974, the 1930s plant and the larger 1940s plant at Bitumount were declared Provincial Historic Resources.[3]

## Today

As of 2017, the structures at Bitumount have deteriorated. The 1930s plant has collapsed, although much of the equipment is still in place. The 1940s plant was more substantially built and its steel frame and concrete foundations are still in good condition. Many of the wood buildings, including Fitzgerald's original cabin, are in serious disrepair.[3][8]

## See also

- [History of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil)](/source/History_of_the_petroleum_industry_in_Canada_(oil_sands_and_heavy_oil))

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Fitz_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Fitz_1-1) [Alberta Online Encyclopedia: R.C. Fitzsimmons](http://www.abheritage.ca/abresources/history/history_heroes_hydro_rc.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ACT_2-0)** Alberta Culture and Tourism. ["Bitumount"](http://history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/bitumount/Default.aspx).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-DMA_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-DMA_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-DMA_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-DMA_3-3) David Murray Architect (28 December 2012). ["Bitumount Historic Site"](http://www.davidmurrayarchitect.ca/bitumount-historic-site/). Retrieved 22 October 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Access_4-0)** Alberta Culture and Tourism. ["Bitumount, access by river"](http://history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/bitumount/access/by-river/Default.aspx).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Process_5-0)** Alberta Culture and Tourism. ["Bitumount, the process"](http://history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/bitumount/the-process/Default.aspx).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-LM_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-LM_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-LM_6-2) McKenzie-Brown, Peter (10 April 2011) (10 April 2011). ["Rampant optimisim, tremendous drive"](https://languageinstinct.blogspot.ca/2011/04/rampant-optimism-tremendous-drive.html). *Language matters: studies in energy, history and language*. Retrieved 22 October 2017.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_numeric_names:_authors_list))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [\[1\]](http://archive1.macs.ualberta.ca/FindingAids/Champion/83-160.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110811174627/http://archive1.macs.ualberta.ca/FindingAids/Champion/83-160.html) August 11, 2011, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Weber, Bob (30 June 2017). ["Back to Bitumount: How the oil sands changed Alberta and Canada forever"](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/back-to-bitumount-how-the-oil-sands-changed-alberta-and-canadaforever/article35528769/). *The Globe and Mail*.

## Further reading

- J. Joseph Fitzgerald, *Black Gold with Grit*, Gray's Publishing (1978) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8882-6075-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8882-6075-X)

- Peter McKenzie-Brown, Gordon Jaremko, David Finch, *The Great Oil Age*, Brush Education (1993) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-55059-072-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55059-072-3)

- Robert Bott, *Our Petroleum Challenge: Sustainability into the 21st Century*, Canadian Centre for Energy Information (report, 2004)

## External links

- [Rampant Optimism, Tremendous Drive](https://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2011/04/rampant-optimism-tremendous-drive.html)

- [Oral History of the Oilsands](https://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2011/01/oral-history-of-oilsands.html)

- [Canada's Historic Places: Bitumont](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=4998&pid=0)

v t e Petroleum industry Petroleum Primary energy Benchmarks Argus Sour Bonny Light Brent Dubai Indian Basket Indonesian Isthmus-34 Light Japan Cocktail OPEC Reference Basket Tapis Urals West Texas Intermediate Western Canadian Select Data Natural gas Consumption Production Reserves Imports Exports Price Petroleum Consumption Production Reserves Imports Exports Posted oil price Price of gasoline and diesel Exploration Core sampling Geophysics Integrated asset modelling Petroleum engineering Reservoir simulation Reservoir modeling Petroleum geology Petrophysics Reflection seismology Seismic inversion Seismic source Drilling Blowout Completion Squeeze job Differential sticking Directional drilling Geosteering Drill stem test Drilling engineering Drilling fluid invasion Lost circulation Measurement Shale oil extraction Ljungström method Tracers Underbalanced drilling Well logging Production Petroleum fiscal regime Concessions Production sharing agreements Artificial lift Gas lift Pumpjack Submersible pump (ESP) Downstream Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) Gas reinjection Steam injection Midstream Petroleum product Pipeline Refining Upstream Water injection Well intervention XT History 1967 Oil Embargo 1973 oil crisis 1979 oil crisis 1980s oil glut 1990 oil price shock 2000s energy crisis 2010s oil glut 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war Nationalization GECF OPEC Seven Sisters Standard Oil Canada France India Iraq Norway Saudi Arabia United States Venezuela Provinces and fields List of natural gas fields List of oil fields Caspian Sea Daqing Oil Field East Midlands Oil Province East Texas Gulf of Mexico Niger Delta North Sea Permian Basin Persian Gulf Prudhoe Bay Russia Venezuela Shengli Oil Field Western Canada Sedimentary Basin Other topics Abbreviations Classification sweet oil sour oil Oil shale gas Orphan wells Peak oil fossil fuel phase-out timing Petrocurrency Petrodollar recycling Petrofiction Shale band Shale gas Swing producer Unconventional (oil and gas) reservoir heavy crude oil sands oil shale tight oil Companies and organisations Major petroleum companies Supermajors BP Chevron Eni ExxonMobil Shell TotalEnergies National oil companies Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ANCAP Bharat Petroleum China National Offshore Oil Corporation China National Petroleum Corporation Ecopetrol Equinor Gazprom Hindustan Petroleum Indian Oil Corporation Iraq National Oil Company KazMunayGas Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Lotos Naftogaz National Iranian Oil Company National Iranian South Oil Company NNPC Limited Oil & Gas Development Company Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Orlen PDVSA Pemex Pertamina Petrobangla Petrobras PetroChina Petronas Petrovietnam PTT Public Company Limited QatarEnergy Rosneft Saudi Aramco Sinopec SOCAR Sonangol Sonatrach TPAO YPF Energy trading Enron Glencore Gunvor Mercuria Naftiran Intertrade Trafigura Vitol Others APA Corporation Cenovus Energy Cepsa ConocoPhillips Devon Energy Eneos Holdings Galp Energia Hess Corporation Husky Energy Imperial Oil Lukoil Marathon Oil Marathon Petroleum Occidental Petroleum OMV Phillips 66 Port Harcourt Refining Company Reliance Industries Repsol Suncor Energy Sunoco Surgutneftegas TechnipFMC TNK-BP Tullow Oil Tüpraş Valero Energy Major services companies Amec Foster Wheeler Baker Hughes Cameron International CGG CH2M Chicago Bridge & Iron Company China Oilfield Services Enbridge GE Power Halliburton Nabors Industries Naftiran Intertrade NOV Inc. Petrofac Saipem SLB Snam Subsea 7 TC Energy Transocean Valaris Limited Weatherford International John Wood Group Others American Petroleum Institute Canadian petroleum companies Intercontinental Exchange Futures International Association of Oil & Gas Producers International Energy Agency Society of Petroleum Engineers World Petroleum Council Category

v t e Western Canada Sedimentary Basin Hydrocarbon history Oil sands and heavy oil Frontier exploration and development Natural gas liquids Natural gas Depositional regions Southern Alberta Central Alberta Northwestern Alberta Plains South-central Canadian Rockies foothills North-east Plains North-central foothills Liard River Fort Nelson Northern Rocky Mountains Fort St. John Saskatchewan Western Manitoba

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bitumount](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitumount) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitumount?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.