View source for Canol Project

{{Short description|Former pipeline in Canada and Alaska}}

The '''Canol Project''' was an [[oil pipeline]] project constructed during [[World War II]] to ensure a supply of oil for the defense of [[Alaska]] and the North American west coast. The project included a section of crude petroleum transport by barge, a refinery, and a 4-inch pipeline. It was completed in two years at great cost and was abandoned less than a year later.

== History ==
[[File:Laying the Canol pipeline -a.jpg|thumb|alt=Construction of a pipeline|Pipeline construction near [[Ross River, Yukon|Ross River]]]]
During [[World War II]] the [[United States]] was concerned about [[Japan]] attacking the west coast and cutting off supply lines to Alaska. They built the [[Alaska Highway]] to connect Alaska to the rest of the United States and conceived the CANOL (Canadian Oil) project to ensure a supply of oil from [[Norman Wells]] in the Canadian [[Northwest Territories]]. The US War Department decided to construct the project in April 1942 and it was assigned to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref name="Finnie">{{cite book |last1=Finnie |first1=Richard |title=CANOL: The sub-Arctic Pipeline and Refinery Project constructed by Bechtel-Price-Callahan for the Corps of Engineers United States Army 1942-1944 |date=1945 |publisher=Ryder & Ingram |location=San Francisco |access-date=21 December 2020 |url=http://assets.yukonarchives.ca/Finnie_Canol_1945.pdf}}</ref>

The construction of infrastructure to Alaska via Norman Wells was first raised by the arctic explorer [[Vilhjalmur Stefansson]], who proposed a water connection from the railhead at [[Waterways, Alberta]] to Norman Wells, and then a road to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]] as an alternative to the Alaska Highway.<ref name="Diubaldo">{{cite journal |last1=Diubaldo |first1=Richard J. |title="The Canol Project in Canadian-American Relations" |journal=Historical Papers / Communications historique |date=1977 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=178–195 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/59313023.pdf |access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref>

Oil in the Norman Wells area was noted as far back at 1789 when the explorer [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Alexander Mackenzie]] noted seepage of oil along [[Mackenzie River|the river that would later bear his name]].<ref name="Berger">{{cite book |last1=Berger |first1=Thomas R. |author1-link=Thomas R. Berger |title=Northern frontier, northern homeland :the report of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, volume one |date=1977 |publisher=Minister of Supply and Services Canada |location=Toronto |isbn=0-660-00775-4 |page=117 |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/bcp-pco/CP32-25-1977-1-eng.pdf |access-date=9 June 2025}}</ref> Claims for oil were staked by the geologist T.O. Bosworth, and they were subsequently acquired by [[Imperial Oil]], which drilled three producing wells and built a small refinery by 1924. Local demand was so small that refinery soon closed, but it re-opened in the early 1930s to supply the [[Eldorado Mine (Northwest Territories)|Eldorado Mine]] at [[Port Radium]].<ref>{{harvnb|Berger|1977|p=13}}</ref>

The order to construct a pipeline from Norman Wells to Whitehorse was issued by Brigadier General [[Brehon B. Somervell]], head of the  Construction Division of the [[United States Army Quartermaster Corps|Quartermaster Corps]], based on the recommendation of Colonel James Graham, the Dean of Engineering at the [[University of Kentucky]]. Graham based his recommendation on a one-day conference he organized, attended mostly by Army officials, where no one present was familiar with the area the pipeline was to be built.<ref name="Diubaldo" />

== Construction ==
[[File:Canol pipeline.jpg|thumb|alt=An old pipeline in overgrown bush|Remains of the Canol Pipeline along the [[Canol Heritage Trail]], 2020]]
[[Bechtel|W.A. Bechtel Co]], H. Price & Co. and W. E. Callahan Construction Co. formed a consortium to construct the project. Known as Bechtel-Price-Callahan (BPC) it also included six associated companies. [[Standard Oil Company]] was a consultant on the project and would operate the refinery in Whitehorse. [[Imperial Oil]] owned the Norman Wells field and would be responsible for the supply of oil. J. Gordon Turnbull and Sverdrup and Parcel were chosen to the project's architect and engineer of record.<ref name="Finnie" />

The eventual scope of the project included:<ref name="Finnie" />

* An {{convert|1100|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} barge supply route from [[Waterways, Alberta]] to Norman Wells
* A series of ten airfields stretching from [[Edmonton]] to Norman Wells
* An {{convert|1000|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} winter road from [[Peace River, Alberta]] to Norman Wells
* A water and rail-based supply route via [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]] and [[Skagway, Alaska]]
* An all-weather road between Norman Wells and [[Johnson's Crossing, Yukon]] 
* A refinery in [[Whitehorse, Yukon]] 
* A total of {{convert|1600|mi|km}} of pipelines connecting Whitehorse to:
** Norman Wells (Canol No. 1)
** Skagway (Canol No.2)
** Watson Lake (Canol No.3), and
** Fairbanks (Canol No. 4)
* A telegraph system connecting all key points of the project

===Survey===

In 1942, Europeans had limited knowledge of the area between Norman Wells and Whitehorse, as the Mountain Dene or [[Sahtu|Shutagot'ine]] would come down from the mountains to trade with [[North American fur trade|European traders]] along the [[Mackenzie River]].<ref name="Hanks">{{cite book |last1=Hanks |first1=Christopher |last2=Cross |first2=Sue |last3=Irving |first3=Susan |title=Architectural and Archaeological Survey of the Canol Road, 1989 |date=1993 |publisher=Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre |location=Yellowknife, NT |isbn=0770800890 |pages=6–7}}</ref> BPC hired a land surveyor named Guy Blanchet to identify a route. Interviews with [[Dene]] from Fort Norman (now [[Tulita]]) identified a trail through the [[Mackenzie Mountains]] that was the most suitable, and in October 1942 Blanchet, four guides from Fort Norman (Fred Andrew, Little Edward Blondin, George Blondin, and Paul Wright)<ref name="Kershaw">{{Cite thesis |title=Long-term ecological consequences in tundra environments of the CANOL Crude Oil Pipeline Project, N.W.T. |last=Kershaw |first=G. Peter |date=1983-04-22 |degree=PhD Thesis |publisher=[[University of Alberta]] |url=https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/945ba39e-3d69-4bb2-a9f2-0ec2c5552228 |doi=10.7939/R3XD0R395|page=51|pages= |at= |no-pp= |chapter=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=NWT Cultural Places Program |title=Gazetteer of the Northwest Territories |date=2017 |publisher=Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre |location=Yellowknife, NT |page=74}}</ref><ref name="Hanks" /> and two others set out by [[dog sled]] to survey the route that would eventually become the crossing of the pipeline over the Mackenzie Mountains. (though construction on the road had already begun by then) Subsequent surveys along this route by teams using heavy equipment were abandoned as the extreme cold caused machinery to fail. While there were several aerial photo projects, they were inconsistent and it is not clear how much they were used to guide location. Typically, much of the route decisions were made during construction, resulting in numerous "false starts" and reroutes of the road.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|pp=51–57}}</ref>

===Logistics===

Much of the pipeline and equipment for the eastern section of Canol No.1 was moved by rail to [[Waterways, Alberta]] (today a suburb of [[Fort McMurray]]), where it was transferred to barges to take it up the [[Athabasca River]]. The Army was initially unaware that the unnavigable [[Slave River#Rapids and kayaking|Slave Rapids]] made navigation to [[Great Slave Lake]] impossible, and barges had to be [[Portage|portaged]] by truck from [[Fort Fitzgerald]] to [[Fort Smith, Northwest Territories|Fort Smith]]. Once the Mackenzie River froze over, the army constructed an [[ice road]] to Norman Wells.<ref name="Gage" /> 

The work of loading barges cutting wood to supply the boilers of [[paddle steamer|paddle boats]] was assigned to the 388th Engineer Battalion (Separate), a [[Racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces|segregated]] unit of 1,000 black men with white officers from [[Camp Claiborne]], [[Louisiana]]. The men of the 388th were given the most demanding work, and were the lowest priority for rations, equipment, and accommodations, with some of them spending the harsh sub-arctic winter in tents.<ref name="Hanks" /><ref name="Gage" />

The western portion of the Canol was comparatively easy to supply, as supplies could be shipped to the port [[Skagway]] and then transported to Whitehorse on the [[White Pass and Yukon Route|White Pass Railroad]].<ref name="Gage" /> 

===Building the pipeline===

The pipeline itself was built by the civilian BPC consortium, which hired 52,900 people, mostly men who were [[Selective Training and Service Act of 1940|ineligible for military service]]. While the contractors were permitted to hire Canadian workers, the Canadian government did not want the Canada's wartime industries to lose workers to what was seen as a U.S. project, and Canadians made up less then 20% of the workers on the project. While BPC emphasized the challenging conditions in its hiring, with posters warning prospective workers that they "will be required to work and live under the most extreme conditions imaginable," the project experience high rates of [[Employee turnover|turnover]], with 28,000 workers not finishing their 9-month contracts.<ref name="Gage" />

The pipeline was just {{convert|4|in|cm|0}} in diameter.  The [[light crude oil|low gravity crude oil]] from Norman Wells had a pour point well below the freezing mark and could be run through a narrow pipeline without being heated.<ref name="Gage">{{cite book |last1=Gage |first1=S.R. |title=A walk on the Canol Road |date=1990 |publisher=Mosaic Press |isbn=0-88962-439-9}}</ref> The pipeline was laid on the surface of the ground to simplify construction and maintenance.<ref name="Finnie" /> Ten pump stations were needed to move the crude oil to Whitehorse. The pumps were specially designed to be able to use the Norman Wells crude as fuel. An additional 19 pump stations moved the refined fuel along the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse as far as Watson Lake and Fairbanks.<ref name="Gage" />

The Whitehorse refinery was purchased used and shipped up from [[Corpus Christi, Texas]].<ref name="TrumanCommittee">{{cite book |title=Investigation of the national defense program. Hearings before a Special Committee Investigating the National Defense Program, Part 22: The Canol Project |date=1943 |page=9310 |url=https://archive.org/details/investigationofn22unit/page/n3/mode/2up |access-date=3 June 2025 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |location=Washington, DC}}</ref> It was operated by [[Standard Oil]] and located in the Maxwell Industrial Area north of present-day Downtown Whitehorse.<ref name="Maxwell">{{cite book |author1=Midnight Arts |title=Maxwell Industrial Area |date=April 1999 |publisher=Government of Yukon |location=Whitehorse, YK |url=https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/environment/marwell-industrial-area-historical-research-project-1999.pdf |access-date=3 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405055914/https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/environment/marwell-industrial-area-historical-research-project-1999.pdf |archive-date=5 April 2024}}</ref>

The final construction cost for the Canol Project construction has been estimated at US$133 million ({{Inflation|US|133000000|1944|fmt=eq}}) and may have been closer to $300 million when military personnel are included.<ref name="Gage" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ueda |first1=Herbert T. |last2=Garfield |first2=Donald E. |last3=Hayes |first3=F. Donald | title= The Canol Pipeline Project: A Historical Review |journal=Special Report |volume=77 |issue=34 |url=https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/server/api/core/bitstreams/81b728f8-a7c7-4ef8-e053-411ac80adeb3/content |access-date=2 June 2025 |publisher=Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers}}</ref>

== Operation ==

The last pipeline weld was completed on February 16, 1944, near [[Macmillan Pass Airport|Macmillan Pass]]. Oil first entered the pipeline at Norman Wells on 19 December 1943, but due to construction issues oil did not reach the Whitehorse refinery until 1 April 1945.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|p=66}}</ref> The grand opening was held on April 30.<ref name="Gage" /> Initially only able to produce gasoline, it was finally able to produce aviation gas in November 1944.<ref name="Maxwell" />

Over the life of the Canol No.1 pipeline {{convert|1161394|usbbl|l}} were pumped into the line at Norman Wells. Only 83.7% of that arrived in Whitehorse. Most of the remaining {{convert|189709|usbbl|l}} is believed to have been lost due to pipeline breaks.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|pp=66–71}}</ref> The pipeline had been fully operational for 331 days when it was shut down on 13 March 1945.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|p=67}}</ref>

=== Camps and pump stations ===

The Canol System had a network of manned [[Pipeline#Components|pump stations]], maintenance camps,

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|+ Canol No. 1 Pumping stations and camps
|-
! Name<ref name="Bisset53">{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|pp=61–62}}</ref> !! Location !!  Notes !! Status
|-
| Pump Station No. 1 "Camp Canol" || Mile 0 || Base camp on the Mackenzie River, included airstrip<ref name="Hanks23">{{Harvnb|Hanks|Cross|Irving|1993|p=23}}</ref> || Demolished by Imperial Oil in 1977<ref name="Hanks23" />
|-
| Pump Station No. 2 "Dodo Canyon"|| Mile 36.5 || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Little Keele River || Mile 50 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" />|| {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Little Keele River || Mile 67.5 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Pump Station No. 3 "Plains of Abraham"|| Mile 74.5 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Plains of Abraham || Mile 80 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" />|| {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Pump Station No. 4 "Bolstead Creek"|| Mile 108 || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Keele River|| Mile 130 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" />|| {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Pump Station No. 5 "Egouchie River"|| Mile 170||  || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Pump Station No. 6 "lntga River"|| Mile 208 || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Tsichy River || Mile 222 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> Last camp in the [[Northwest Territories]].|| {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Macmillan River || Mile 238.5 ([[Macmillan Pass Airport]]) || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || Cleaned up 1975/76, except for three buildings left standing.<ref name="bisset7071">{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|pp=70–71}}</ref> 
|-
| Macmillan River || Mile 246 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || Cleaned up 1975/76.<ref name="bisset7071" />  
|-
| Macmillan River || Mile 279 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || Cleaned up 1975/76.<ref name="bisset7071" />  
|-
| Pump Station No. 7 "Macmillan River"|| Mile 280 || || Cleaned up 1975/76, except for one building left standing.<ref name="bisset7071" />  
|-
| Sheldon Lake|| Mile 299 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || Cleaned up 1975/76.<ref name="bisset7071" />  
|-
| [[Ross River (Yukon)|Ross River]] || Mile 372.4 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Pump Station No. 8 "Orchie Lake"|| Mile 337 || || Cleaned up 1975/76, except for one building left standing.<ref name="bisset7071" />  
|-
| Pump Station No. 9 "Lapie River"|| Mile 387 || || No structures remaining during 1975/76 cleanup operations, garbage removed.<ref name="bisset7071" /> 
|-
| Murphy Creek || Mile 491 || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Pump Station No. 10 "Gravel Creek"|| Mile 437 || || Cleaned up 1975/76, except for one building left standing.<ref name="bisset7071" />  
|-
| Camp Canol  "[[Johnson's Crossing]]"|| Mile 513 {{Coord|60.4897|133.2953|name=Johnson's Crossing}}<ref>{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=179}}</ref> || Highway Maintenance Camp<ref name="Bisset53" /> || {{Dunno}} 
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|+ Canol No. 2 Pumping stations
|-
! Name<ref name="Bisset53" /> !! Location !!  Notes !! Status
|-
| [[Carcross]] || MP66 Klondike Highway || also part of Canol No. 3 || Dismantled in 1974.<ref name="carcross">{{cite book |author1=Golder Associates |title=Report on Site Restoration National Energy Board Order MO-7-96 Yukon Pipelines Limited Pump Station Carcross Yukon |date=2001 |publisher=[[National Energy Board]] |location=Calgary, AB |url=https://docs2.cer-rec.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/92272/533687/92808/518610/027%2DB_Report_and_Tables_%28A1F6Y0%29.pdf?nodeid=518614&vernum=-2 |access-date=15 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250615032944/https://docs2.cer-rec.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/92272/533687/92808/518278/026-B_Report_(A1F6K3).pdf?nodeid=518232&vernum=-2 |archive-date=15 Jun 2025}}</ref> 
|-
| [[White Pass|Summit]] || Summit of [[White Pass]] || || {{Dunno}} 
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|+ Canol No. 3 Pumping stations
|-
! Name<ref name="Bisset53" /> !! Location !!  Notes !! Status
|-
| [[Carcross]] || [[Milestone|MP]]66 [[Klondike Highway]] || also part of Canol No. 2 || Dismantled in 1974.<ref name="carcross" />
|-
| Station W || MP855 [[Alaska Highway]] || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station X || MP794 Alaska Highway || || Site destroyed in a forest fire in 1956<ref>{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=167}}</ref> In 1996 site inspection the site was used as a firing range by a gun club.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Groundtrax (Yukon) Inc. |title=Environmental Site Assessment Whitehorse, Yukon Teslin to Morley River |date=1996 |url=https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/c1995_15.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224201601/https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/c1995_15.pdf |archive-date=24 Feb 2024}}</ref>
|-
| Station Y || MP748 Alaska Highway {{Coord|59.8888|-131.4513|name=Station Y}}<ref>{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=188}}</ref> || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station Z || MP693 Alaska Highway || || {{Dunno}} 
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|+ Canol No. 4 Pumping stations
|-
! Name<ref name="Bisset53" /> !! Location !!  Notes !! Status
|-
| Station A || [[Whitehorse]] || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station B || [[Milestone|MP]]957 [[Alaska Highway]]{{Coord|60.7916|-136.0083|name=Station B}}<ref name="K.Bisset & Associates 1995 217">{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=217}}</ref> || || No buildings left in 1996 inspection.<ref>{{cite book |author1=UMA Engineering Ltd. |title=PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF FOUR FORMER U.S. MILITARY CAMP SITES YUKON TERRITORY |date=1996 |url=https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/c1996_13.pdf |access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> 
|-
| Station C || MP1000 Alaska Highway {{Coord|60.8569|-137.125|name=Station C}}<ref name="K.Bisset & Associates 1995 217"/> || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station D || MP1036 Alaska Highway {{Coord|60.925|-137.9291|name=Station D}}<ref name="Bisset254">{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=254}}</ref>|| || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station E || MP1081 Alaska Highway ([[Destruction Bay]]) {{Coord|61.2291|-138.75|name=Station E}}<ref name="Bisset254" />|| || Site repurposed for [[Haines-Fairbanks Pipeline]] pumping station.<ref>{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=276}}</ref>
|-
| Station F || MP1126 Alaska Highway|| || Temporarily repurposed as a highway maintenance camp in the 1950s, only pump building remained in 1996 inspection.<ref>{{cite book |author1=CCSG Associates |title=Preliminary Environmental Investigation: Site 30 - North of Burwash Landing, |date=1996}}</ref>
|-
| Station G || MP1166 Alaska Highway {{Coord|62.4416|-140.8583|name=Station G}}<ref>{{Harvnb|K.Bisset & Associates|1995|p=277}}</ref> || || Only building foundations remained in 1996 inspection.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Hycal Enviromental Services |title=Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessment Former Military Site Koidem - White River Mile Post 1164 - 1167 Alaska Highway |date=1996 |url=https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/c1996_05.pdf |access-date=14 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224203717/https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/c1996_05.pdf |archive-date=24 Feb 2024}}</ref>
|-
| Station H || MP1206 Alaska Highway ([[Beaver Creek, Yukon|Beaver Creek]])|| Last station in Canada|| {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station I || {{Coord|62.8714|-141.4816|name=Station I}}<ref name= "StationM">{{cite web |title=Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact: CANOL Pipeline (F10AK1033-06) Pump Station M and Similar CANOL sites Eastern Interior Alaska |url=https://www.poa.usace.army.mil/Portals/34/EAFONSIPNCANOLMFUDS30Jun2023.pdf |website=[[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], Alaska District |access-date=14 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250309024113/https://www.poa.usace.army.mil/Portals/34/EAFONSIPNCANOLMFUDS30Jun2023.pdf |archive-date=9 March 2025 |date=30 June 2023}}</ref> || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station J ||  {{Coord|63.2091|-142.1963|name=Station J}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Site Report: CANOL Pump Station J - Ida Joe Allotment |url=https://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/CSP/SiteReport/3255 |website=Division of Spill Prevention and Response |publisher=Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation |access-date=14 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323105852/https://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/CSP/SiteReport/3255 |archive-date=23 Mar 2025}}</ref>|| || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station K || [[Tanacross, Alaska|Tanacross]] {{Coord|63.3629|-143.3511|name=Station K}}<ref name= "StationM" /> || || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station L || [[Dot Lake]]{{Coord|63.6792|-144.1559|name=Station L}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Site Report: CANOL Pump Station L (FUDS) |url=https://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/CSP/SiteReport/26828 |website=Division of Spill Prevention and Response |publisher=Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation |access-date=14 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614032249/https://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/CSP/SiteReport/26828 |archive-date=14 June 2025}}</ref>|| || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station M || [[Delta Junction]] {{Coord|63.8908|-145.1985|name=Station M}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Site Report: CANOL Pipeline Pump Station M (FUDS) |url=https://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/CSP/SiteReport/26829 |website=Division of Spill Prevention and Response |publisher=Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation |access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref>|| || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station N || [[Big Delta]] {{Coord|64.2629|-146.0981|name=Station N}}<ref name= "StationM" />|| || {{Dunno}} 
|-
| Station O || [[Salcha]]{{Coord|64.4825|-146.9738|name=Station N}}<ref name= "StationM" /> || || {{Dunno}}

|}

== Decommissioning ==

Due to its remoteness and challenging conditions the costs to provide fuel from the Canol were considerably higher than having fuel arrive via tanker. On March 8, 1945, the US War Department made the decision to shut the project down. Work began immediately to winterize all equipment, clean and stock camps and remove all personnel.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|p=74}}</ref>

The Canadian government had [[right of first refusal]] to purchase the pipeline, but prior to shutdown had already concluded that the cost of operating the project was far greater than shipping in oil.<ref>{{Harvnb|Diubaldo|1977|p=189}}</ref> The U.S. Army hoped to find a private-sector buyer for the entire project, but was unsuccessful. Instead the project was sold off in pieces while Canol No. 1 was sold for scrap and abandoned.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|pp=74–75}}</ref>

Imperial Oil purchased equipment at Norman Wells for $3 million.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1983|p=76}}</ref> Imperial also paid $1 million for the Whitehorse refinery, which had been installed at a cost of $27 million, which they then dismantled and shipped to Alberta. The salvage rights for the remainder of the line were sold for $700,000 and carried out by George Price of [[Dawson Creek, British Columbia]].<ref name="Gage" /> Some valuable equipment was salvaged but much of the pipeline, telegraph wire, vehicles and buildings were left in place.

The Skagway-Whitehorse (Canol No.2) and Whitehorse-Fairbanks (Canol No.4) sections remained in use for fuel delivery from tankers at the Port of Skagway to Whitehorse and Fairbanks until 1958, when it was replaced by the larger [[Haines-Fairbanks Pipeline]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hollinger |first1=Kristy |title=The Haines-Fairbanks Pipeline |date=April 2003 |publisher=Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands |location=Ft. Collins, CO |url=https://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/AlaskaGas/Report4/Report_CEMML_2003_HainesFairbanksPipeline.pdf}}</ref> It was then sold to the [[White Pass and Yukon Route|White Pass & Yukon Company]] (WPY).<ref name="Bisset">{{cite book |author1=K.Bisset & Associates |title=Research of Former Military Sites and Activities in the Yukon |date=April 1995 |publisher=[[Indian and Northern Affairs Canada]] |location=Ottawa, ON |url=https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/research-former-military-sites/report.pdf |access-date=6 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109131639/https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/cw/research-former-military-sites/report.pdf?__cf_chl_rt_tk=5b5G8fe5lc44aw3J3r_OozDX24rbvM0AZJvmI_HbyQY-1736428599-1.0.1.1-lxrlrsYe7FQjeL3PZkKiY66SqXkkzHusVN7FdAUJmGM |archive-date=9 January 2025}}</ref> WPY dismantled the Canol No.4 by 1962, but continued to operate Canol No.2 until 1994, when the pipeline was removed.<ref name="Bisset" /><ref>{{cite book |author1=Golder Associates |title=Report on Site Restoration National Energy Board Order MO-7-96 Yukon Pipelines Limited Pipeline Right of Way |date=2001 |publisher=[[National Energy Board]] |location=Calgary, AB |url=https://docs2.cer-rec.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/92272/533687/92808/518610/027%2DB_Report_and_Tables_%28A1F6Y0%29.pdf?nodeid=518614&vernum=-2|access-date=15 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250615034149/https://docs2.cer-rec.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/92272/533687/92808/518610/027-B_Report_and_Tables_(A1F6Y0).pdf?nodeid=518614&vernum=-2 |archive-date=15 Jun 2025}}</ref>

The Whitehorse refinery was dismantled in 1948 and shipped to [[Edmonton]] to process oil from the [[Leduc No. 1|recent discovery at Leduc]].<ref name="Maxwell" />

== Current status ==

The [[Canol Road]] is still seasonally maintained within the Yukon and is known as Highway 6. A ferry in the community of [[Ross River, Yukon]] is used to cross the [[Pelly River]]. There are several old vehicle dumps remaining on the Yukon side and an old pipeline crossing remains in Ross River. The bridge has been used as a footbridge and was recently refurbished.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ross River's historic footbridge reopens |url=https://www.yukon-news.com/news/ross-rivers-historic-footbridge-reopens/ |website=Yukon News |access-date=11 December 2020 |date=11 June 2018}}</ref>

In the Northwest Territories the road is no longer maintained and is now the [[Canol Heritage Trail]].  It is estimated that 46,000 barrels of crude oil were spilled along the pipeline route.<ref name="Gage" /> Many of the abandoned buildings and vehicles contain hazardous materials and telegraph wire has entangled animals such as moose and caribou.<ref name=Cbc2014-07-08>
{{cite news
| url         = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/wwii-era-telephone-lines-snag-n-w-t-moose-caribou-1.2700166
| title       = WWII-era telephone lines snag N.W.T. moose, caribou: Abandoned 1940s Canol pipeline cleanup still a work in progress
| publisher   = [[CBC News]]
| date        = 2014-07-08
| archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140816020358/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/wwii-era-telephone-lines-snag-n-w-t-moose-caribou-1.2700166
| archivedate = 2014-08-16
| accessdate  = 2014-08-19
| url-status     = live
}}
</ref> Clean-up of telegraph wire began in 2015 and most of the wire along the trail has been coiled up for removal.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kyle |first1=Kate |title=Canol Trail wire cleanup project to move ahead |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canol-trail-wire-cleanup-project-to-move-ahead-1.3187354 |publisher=CBC News |date=11 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=One of Our Own: Jess Fortner's Canol Trail Clean Up Experience |website=Industry, Tourism and Investment|publisher=Government of Northwest Territories |access-date=24 November 2019 |url=http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/en/newsroom/one-our-own-jess-fortners-canol-trail-clean-experience}}</ref> Remediation work began in 2018 to remove contaminants, telegraph wire and other safety hazards along the trail and expected to be completed in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canol Trail Remediation Project |url=https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1445624695925/1445624831905 |publisher=Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada |access-date=10 December 2020}}</ref> Remediation of the trail will allow the creation of Doi T'oh territorial park to proceed as set out in the ''Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement''.<ref>{{cite report |chapter=17.3 Canol Trail and Dodo Canyon |title=Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement |chapter-url=https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100031147/1543258621708#chp17 |publisher=[[Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada]] |date=15 September 2010}}</ref>

Cleanup began in 2018 at the former site of the refinery in Whitehorse, known locally as the Marwell tar pit. Work was expected to be completed in 2020 at a cost of almost $7 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitehorse's infamous tar pit gets cleaned up after 73 years {{!}} CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/whitehorse-s-infamous-tar-pit-gets-cleaned-up-after-73-years-1.4874821 |website=CBC |access-date=11 December 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Canol Road]]
* [[Canol Heritage Trail]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Oil pipelines]]
[[Category:Oil pipelines in Canada]]
[[Category:Oil pipelines in Alaska]]
[[Category:History of the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:History of Yukon]]
[[Category:Petroleum industry in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Transport buildings and structures in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Transport buildings and structures in Yukon]]
[[Category:History of the petroleum industry in Canada]]