In the summer of 2010, while looking through a scrap pile on a western Manitoba far
m for parts related to a Rumely silo filler the farmer was considering donating to the Manitoba Agricultural Museum, a Museum volunteer came across a much more interesting find, steel oil barrels. While many readers will be thinking at this point, “Good gracious, ransacking the countryside for scrap! Do these people have nothing better to do?” it should be pointed out that the barrels discovered were from the early days of petroleum on the prairies. The oldest barrel was shaped like a wood barrel only using steel instead of wood. And rather than the ends of outer wrapper of the barrel being welded together, rivets were used instead. The joint between the heads of the barrel and the outer wrapper appear to be a rolled joint. Most interesting was the brass medallion set into the top head of the barrel proclaiming the barrel to be the property of The Imperial Oil Co. There is also a number stamped into the medallion, 31550. 
This appears to be the barrel’s serial number. Stamped directly into the head is other information; Complies with ICC Specification No. 5, 7-13, Pat June 3, 1902. ICC refers to the Interstate Commerce Commission, 7-13 may refer to the date the barrel was actually built, July of 1913 and Pat June 3, 1902 refers to the date the barrel design was patented.
As to why the steel barrel was shaped like a wooden barrel, probably very early steel barrels simply followed the general design of wooden barrels. Even more importantly a barrel, particularly when full, was easy to handle with this shape. When moving barrels any distance by hand, the barrels were usually laid on their side and rolled. With a straight wall design changing directions was a problem solved by brute force. However with a curved side wall, the barrel could be tipped in the direction you wanted the barrel to go while rolling it and the barrel turned in that direction.
The Museum was happy to accept donation of this barrel as it aids in the interpretation of the pioneer tractor era. The appearance of gas and kerosene tractors on farms posed a fuel storage problem. Wood, coal and straw used to fire steam engines could just be piled on the ground for storage. Obviously one could not do this with kerosene or gas. Wooden barrels were used to store fuel in the early days as evidenced by a letter to a 1908 edition of the Canadian Thresherman and Farmer in which the writer talked about the economy of his tractor but noted that the wooden barrels used to store kerosene on his farm did leak and so he was not quite sure how much the tractor had actually burnt. Steel barrels were the solution to this issue. And with barrels, if the local fuel dealer did not offer fuel delivery then the farmer could take the barrel with him on a trip to town and get it filled by the dealer. How common on farm delivery of fuel by a fuel dealer was in the pioneer era is not known.
The Manitoba Agricultural Museum is now open year round. Between the tractors, machinery, buildings and other artifacts of Manitoba’s pioneer agricultural era, an interesting day can be spent at the Museum. For more information, see the Museum’s newly upgraded website at http://www.ag-museum.com
