Boom, Bust and Bothwell
tells the story of the
colourful community founded
by Father of Confederation
George Brown. The exhibition
explores how the discovery of
oil fuelled the town’s
remarkable growth in the
1860s through the 1890s and
follows its subsequent

decline into a small Ontario
hamlet. Although a far cry
from the heady days of rough
wildcatters, saloons, hotels,
brothels and a population of
10,000, when the source
served 60 oil wells at one
time, this quiet community is
still producing oil on a
small scale. The citizens

have spent the past five
years preserving the last
remaining original oil field
powerhouse and turning it
into an open-air museum.