When the United States Army authorized the Canol Pipeline Project in 1942, it had no idea how difficult and complex the task would be. The route of the Canol pipeline led over two mountain ranges and across inhospitable terrain in unmapped, territory.
Road construction crews worked in caravan groups. Bulldozers led the way and work crews came after to construct bridges, lay culverts and establish camps for pumping the crude oil. The pipeline workers followed the road builders.
The brutal winter temperatures caused problems for workers and equipment. Diesel fuel thickened to jelly while bulldozer blades, brittle from the cold, broke easily.