Photo courtesy of Charles Lefebvre / Historic well at 210 South Railway Street

By Hayley Ferguson

Historic Wells Found

City locates historical well

Jul 10, 2019 | 9:22 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – When demolition of the Hitch’n Post saloon building began last fall, a major concern was finding a gas well that had been built over 100 years ago.

Now after multiple attempts to find the gas wells on the site, the city has announced they have found it and a relief well built in the 70’s.

The first well was believed to have been built to help heat the American Hotel which was opened in the 1890’s.

The search was a joint effort between the city and the Orphan Well Association.

The well had been leaking methane at a low level for a number of years.

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Although the risk was low, the city’s Commissioner of Energy & Utilities Bradley Maynes says it was a major priority for the city to make the site as safe as possible for the community.

“We think when you look around there’s great businesses around here and this particular site was a concerning for us.” He said. “We were concerned about the stability of the area with the gas mitigation so having the old structure gone has left us with a much more comfortable and really what you’re at today is pretty much state of the art.”

Potential future uses of the now-vacant lot will be prepared for City Council’s consideration and approval.