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It was more than five decades ago when Bitumount, Alberta’s first commercial plant in the oilsands, filled its last barrel of oil.

Since then, not much has been done to preserve the site; a symbol of a pioneering spirit that once dominated an untapped, northwestern frontier.

To reach Bitumount, one has to drive nearly 100 kilometres north of Fort McMurray and spend 15 minutes walking down a concrete trail off the Fort Chipewyan winter road.

A sign on a barbed-wire fence warns trespassers to keep out, but on this October afternoon, the padlock is broken. A dedicated hiker can follow the fence line to the Athabasca River and access the site by walking along the beach.

Inside, the storage buildings, living areas and the original plant are derelict as nature continues it's assault.

The sturdier pipeline infrastructure and extractor plant towers confidently above the Boreal forest, overcoming the layers of rust, mould and grime.

Beer cans, condom wrappers, campfire remains, and spent bullet and shotgun casings litter the area.

As the world’s largest energy corporations are drawn to Alberta's oil deposits, the historic plant that first commercially developed the oilsands is falling apart.

Now, local historians and the province are struggling to find ways to salvage the crumbling site.

“It definitely shouldn’t be like that,” says Roseann Davidson, executive director of the Fort McMurray Historical Society.

“I certainly understand the high expenses for restoration and preservation work, but it’s definitely a site that should be better looked at and preserved,” she said.

“I certainly don’t know the reason why the province hasn’t taken a huge lead on the site, considering its massive historic role in the oilsands.”

Bitumount symbol of pioneering spirit, financial anguish

It was in 1927 when Robert C. Fitzsimmons, a native of Prince Edward Island, founded the International Bitumen Company and began construction of Bitumount.

Fitzsimmons discovered he could heat raw bitumen in hot water tanks and skim off the oily goo that floated to the surface, a process pioneered by Karl Clark of the Alberta Research Council.

The crude approach to bitumen extraction was  profitable, and simplified Clark's more efficient technique, allowing Bitumount to produce approximately 2,000 barrels in 1931.

Fitzsimmons successfully sold his product as a roofing and road surfacing material in Edmonton, inspiring the "tar sands" moniker.

Eventually the Great Depression hit Alberta, and marketing and maintenance became difficult. The plant, which was designed to pump out 750 barrels of oil per day, routinely fell short of this goal and, like many entrepreneurs in the 1930s, Fitzsimmons struggled.

During that first summer, none of the men were paid. The workers who could not afford a ride on passing boats waited until winter, then walked back to Fort McMurray on the frozen Athabasca River. 

By 1942, Fitzsimmons could no longer run from his financial problems and surrendered. The confidently-named company was sold to Montreal-based businessman Lloyd Champion the following year.

Champion partnered with the Alberta Government to develop a larger scale plant, but legal challenges and financial difficulties prevented him from fulfilling his end of the bargain.

Undeterred, the government took full ownership of the plant in 1949, which was worth more than $750,000 at the time.

The province declared the operations commercially viable, but the discovery of oil deposits in Leduc two years prior discouraged investors from the area. There were periods of erratic operations interrupted by frequent closures until 1958, when Bitumount was abandoned for good.

Champion would form the Great Canadian Oil Sands company - the precursor to Suncor Energy. Fitzsimmons never returned to the oilsands, instead focusing on real estate.

No immediate plans for Bitumount's future

Today, the Oil Sands Discovery Centre - home of the Robert Fitzsimmons Theatre - occasionally hosts tours of the site, which was made an Alberta historical site in 1974. The plant remains sealed to the public.

Its isolation has shielded the site from scavengers and vandals.

“Ideally, we would want it restored and open to the public like many other historical sites in Alberta,” said Matthew Wangler, executive director of Alberta’s Historic Resources Foundation.

“We’re always considering ways to make that a reality, but right now, we don’t have any immediate plans.”

To do that, Wangler says his department must focus on addressing safety concerns at the site and various cost issues of restoration.

There are also existing bitumen deposits at the site the province has to study, and various toxins and contaminants in the soil.

“It is the granddaddy of all oilsands' sites,” said Wangler. “There are very few people who know about it. We’re very keen to make people more aware of how unique and significant the site is, not just for Fort McMurray, but for the economy and for Canada.”

Fort McMurray Today/Saturday, November 16, 2013