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.
Kuala Belait is a town in Brunei nearest to Miri. Before the bridges were made across both the Baram River and Belait River, the only way across to and from Miri would be by ferry that operated on the Belait River connecting directly to the town.