Miri History

The earliest trace of human settlement is found in the Niah Caves and dates back to 35000 BC. Through the years, Miri was mostly a quiet fishing village until 1882, when oil was found on Canada Hill. At first, locals used the oil for medicinal purposes and, later on, to light lamps and to waterproof the boats. Miri is considered the first town in Malaysia to discover oil and exploit it.

“The Grand Old Lady”

In 1910, the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company struck oil in the town of Miri and began its commercial exploitation by drilling the Miri-1 well in December. The oil industry nudged along the growth of Miri. The first derrick in Miri is now affectionately called “The Grand Old Lady” and it produced oil for 62 years. It still stands today on its original location.

World War II

World War II was another turning point in Miri's history. Since there were no air or sea forces close to the area, the British government developed a “Denial Scheme” for Miri to destroy all the oil installations in the event of a Japanese attack. In these times, crude oil was pumped to a refinery located at Lutong, on the coast, and from this refinery, loading lines ran out to sea. The beach between Miri and Lutong was highly vulnerable as there were no forces available to defend it from attackers. In December 1940, and May 1941, a small Punjab company of approximately 1050 soldiers was entrusted with the destruction of the oil fields. In December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the order for the complete and total destruction of the Lutong refinery and oil wells was given and completed. Miri fell to Japanese invaders on December 17, 1941.

Oil

By the 1950s, with the rebuilt oil fields starting to show serious signs of depletion, surveying of the marine seabed began to find new oil sources. In 1962, oil was discovered offshore from Sarawak and other finds followed in quick succession. The first offshore oil platform was built approximately 6 miles from the Lutong shore. The last onshore oil field was shutdown in the early 1970s. Subsequently, the Parliament enacted the Petroleum Act to force Exxon and Shell to share some of their oil revenues with Malaysia residents, which fueled the construction and expansion boom in Miri to shape it into what it is today.