The company was founded and built by Frank McMahon, a wildcat driller from British Columbia.

Pacific was also the largest shareholder of McMahon's other main venture, Westcoast Transmission.

[1] Pacific Petroleums Limited was formed as a merger of two companies: West Turner Petroleums and British Pacific Oils, both of which had been founded by Frank McMahon.

The vote to merge took place on Saturday, 14 January 1939 in Vancouver.

He returned in 1948 and launched a major gas exploration programme.