Miri's very first oil well, affectionately known as the 'Grand Old Lady' is a historic monument and a place of interest on top of Canada Hill. This is the original structure with some modifications, not a replica.
The two storey solid wooden building housing the museum today was built in the year 1897 as a fort by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke to impose peace and order in the region where warfare among the local tribes prevailed.
In late December 1980, strong winds, torrential rain, and heavy swells in the seas, constant heavy rains caused water from the Miri River to overflow into Lutong.