Driller Extraordinary
Charlie Mills definitely belongs in the drillers hall of fame
Charlie arrived in Lloydminster in the early 1930's, already an
experienced driller. In 1929, he had brought in the first producer in the
Viking-Kinsella field, before that he had worked in Turner Valley, and before that he had
rough-necked on rigs from Texas to California.
Here, he was the driller who brought in the famous Lloydminster # 1, the first commercial
natural gas well in Saskatchewan. He was also field supervisor of the Dina field
which operated 60 kilometers south of here from 1937 to 1942 and provided the first
commercial oil wells in the region.
Charlie is credited with bringing the first rotary rigs into the
Lloydminster area and drilled a number of producers west of town. In the late
1940's, he was attracted to the excitement around Leduc and established a branch of his
company there. Not unexpectedly, he brought in the first independent producing well
in the Leduc field. Later, he was active in the emerging Devon field.
Like most "oil men", Charlie contributed to his family and his
community.
He was active in sports, twice winning the Alberta Provincial Men's Tennis Championship.
In short, when it came to firsts, Charlie Mills was first.
