Cities of Oil: Municipalities and Petroleum Manufacturing in Southern Ontario, 1860-1960

Cities of Oil is the first sustained historical account of the development of the early Canadian petroleum refining and manufacturing industry. In it, Timothy W. Cobban documents the industry’s development in southern Ontario, from its beginnings in the 1850s to its later expansion on the outskirts of London, to Petrolia, and finally to Sarnia. He accounts for all of the industry’s important developments and innovations, particularly the role played by municipalities in fostering its growth...