Charlie Mills

(We spoke to Gerry Mills, son of the late Charlie Mills.)
(additional material from press reports)

Involvement in the Oil Industry

Charlie Mills was born in Marshalltown,Iowa and came to Canada as a youngster with his family, in 1905. As a boy he had "roughnecked" on cable-tool drilling rigs, during the early days of the mid-continent United States oil boom. As a diamond driller, he worked on oil rigs in Texas, California, and Montana, and for Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company in British Columbia. In Canada, he became involved with the Turner Valley oil field.

Charlie earned a reputation as a successful, and well respected drilling contractor. His record of discovery wells and important innovations is truly remarkable. In 1929 he brought in the Discovery gas well in the Viking-Kinsella field. He was the driller on tower when Lloydminster No. 1, Saskatchewan's first gas well, came in, in 1934. In 1937 Charlie was the Field Superintendent for the Dina Oil and Refining Co. Limited. A few years later, he was also employed by the Lloydminster Gas Company.

Charlie started the Northern Development Company Ltd., an oil and gas drilling contractor, around 1943 -1944. Its been said that in those days you could drill an oil well for $4.00 -$5.00 per foot. He got started in Lloydminster with a rig which some called "The Leaning Tower of Pisa". Charlie may have brought the first rotary rig into the area. Northern Development later expanded into the Leduc field and set up a field office in Devon. Their pipe yard was located in Edmonton on 108th Avenue and 42nd Street. His company brought in the first independent Leduc producer.

Charlie was involved with three other men in planning the construction of the world's smallest operating rotary drilling rig. The rig, which was "spudded in" at the Palliser hotel in Calgary, was built to acquaint laymen with drilling operations. The rig was dedicated to the memory of Mr. Mills, who had passed away six weeks earlier.

Charlie Mills had interests other than oil. He was an avid player and supporter of tennis. He won the Alberta Men's Tennis Championship at least twice, and in 1941, teamed with Bill Mitchell to win the Alberta Men's Doubles Championship.