Oil & Gas Heavy
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Some will realize that stories - and history - on this site is biased to Oil & Gas Industries. They're right, and there's a good reason for this - because most records exist about these industries it was much easier to research and gather information from them.
As most of us will know, oil & gas is just one major industry in Miri (it is the oldest). The other big industry being Timber - starting a bit later but having an equally huge impact on Miri and Sarawak's economy from its beginnings. However, there are not that much timber industry history written about Miri, and while we're also gathering information on it, it was simply that much harder to do so.
So, if you're worked in the timber industry in the golden days, please contribute your stories - even the short ones - they are gold to the history of Miri, and are meant to be heard.
The story begins with a Mr. C.C. (Claude Champion) de Crespigny, then the Resident of Baram, who was the first to record the presence of oil in Sarawak. The entry in his diary, dated 31st July 1882, refers to oil discovered in some 18 wells dug by hand by the local inhabitants.