Naumann noticed some constant escape of natural gas in the vicinity of his settlement.
That had never been described before.
His tests indicated gas resources from oil deposits, which were still unknown then.
At that time Naumann covered long distances because he worked as a postmaster in the district of Athabasca/Alberta from 1949.
His area of responsibility as a postmaster of the post office "Pelican Portage – Settlement" included – aside from correspondence and accountancy – the delivery of the mail by motor boat to the trappers and native inhabitants.
Going about his daily work he discovered new leakage of gas time after time.
There seemed to be rich deposits of oil in the ground layers.
Being self-taught he did his researches empirically.
For a long period he carried out his systematic analyses and structured tests from the catchment areas of the Athabasca River to the Fort McMurray decades before the boom in the oil business in Alberta in the 1970s.
In this way he concluded from the constant leakage of gas that there had to be rich deposits of oil.
At the same time used his pioneering work for his own needs.

Naumann’s settlement was situated in the centre of the then unknown huge Athabasca-Oil sand deposits.
He had put his discovery into practice already in the 1930s using it for his own needs in the first place.
He put pipes vertically into the soil around his yard at Athabasca River.
Then he set fire to the gases that were coming out of the soil containing oil sand.
Using the warmth of the constant flames, he succeeded in growing rich crops in the cold climate of Canada.
In this way he was not only able to grow vegetables and potatoes but even tomatoes and cucumbers, which were not growing otherwise there in the open.
The authors David Halsey and Diana Landau, who were his guests during a tour of Canada in 1977/78, recorded that even potatoes and cabbage were even growing in late fall in Dick’s unique garden, where they were protected against the cold by natural gas flames.
They supported this fact with a photo of the flames.
 Because of his discoveries he got a special name in Alberta: "Dick Naumann of Upper Wells", whose property in the wildness at the Athabasca River could be seen from far away because of the flames, and whose hospitality for exhausted travellers was widely known as exceptional.
  
Later, when he was working as a sawmill manager, with a logging camp belonging to it, and as an owner of his own stores, he introduced that easy technique of gas production and its use.
In this way he worked as a pioneer in this field.

His new technique of using the natural gas allowed him not only to provide himself and his family with potatoes and vegetables but also to produce them in large amounts for the canteen of the sawmill and logging camp professionally.
After the systematic extension of the gas exploitation the gas was used for all the engines, even for the washing machines.
Naumann also used the natural gas for the production of warmth and electric energy.
His invention didn't go unnoticed, and it laid the foundation for further scientific researches and tests carried out by the University of Calgary (Prof. V. Geist and his team).
The scientists did geological and ecological fieldwork in that territory, which finally resulted in the extensive research and tapping of the many deposits of oil in Alberta.

Naumann also worked as a cartographer, because the territory along the northern Athabasca River had been almost uninhabited and unexplored before.
He played a leading role in working out exact maps for his work as a naturalist and for the further development of "Pelican Settlement" as well.
Naumann noticed some constant escape of natural gas in the vicinity of his settlement. That had never been described before. His tests indicated gas resources from oil deposits, which were still unknown then. At that time Naumann covered long distances because he worked as a postmaster in the district of Athabasca/Alberta from 1949. His area of responsibility as a postmaster of the post office "Pelican Portage – Settlement" included – aside from correspondence and accountancy – the delivery of the mail by motor boat to the trappers and native inhabitants. Going about his daily work he discovered new leakage of gas time after time. There seemed to be rich deposits of oil in the ground layers. Being self-taught he did his researches empirically. For a long period he carried out his systematic analyses and structured tests from the catchment areas of the Athabasca River to the Fort McMurray decades before the boom in the oil business in Alberta in the 1970s. In this way he concluded from the constant leakage of gas that there had to be rich deposits of oil. At the same time used his pioneering work for his own needs.
Naumann’s settlement was situated in the centre of the then unknown huge Athabasca-Oil sand deposits. He had put his discovery into practice already in the 1930s using it for his own needs in the first place. He put pipes vertically into the soil around his yard at Athabasca River. Then he set fire to the gases that were coming out of the soil containing oil sand. Using the warmth of the constant flames, he succeeded in growing rich crops in the cold climate of Canada. In this way he was not only able to grow vegetables and potatoes but even tomatoes and cucumbers, which were not growing otherwise there in the open. The authors David Halsey and Diana Landau, who were his guests during a tour of Canada in 1977/78, recorded that even potatoes and cabbage were even growing in late fall in Dick’s unique garden, where they were protected against the cold by natural gas flames. They supported this fact with a photo of the flames.  Because of his discoveries he got a special name in Alberta: "Dick Naumann of Upper Wells", whose property in the wildness at the Athabasca River could be seen from far away because of the flames, and whose hospitality for exhausted travellers was widely known as exceptional.   
Later, when he was working as a sawmill manager, with a logging camp belonging to it, and as an owner of his own stores, he introduced that easy technique of gas production and its use. In this way he worked as a pioneer in this field. 
His new technique of using the natural gas allowed him not only to provide himself and his family with potatoes and vegetables but also to produce them in large amounts for the canteen of the sawmill and logging camp professionally. After the systematic extension of the gas exploitation the gas was used for all the engines, even for the washing machines. Naumann also used the natural gas for the production of warmth and electric energy. His invention didn't go unnoticed, and it laid the foundation for further scientific researches and tests carried out by the University of Calgary (Prof. V. Geist and his team). The scientists did geological and ecological fieldwork in that territory, which finally resulted in the extensive research and tapping of the many deposits of oil in Alberta.
Naumann also worked as a cartographer, because the territory along the northern Athabasca River had been almost uninhabited and unexplored before. He played a leading role in working out exact maps for his work as a naturalist and for the further development of "Pelican Settlement" as well.
Georg Naumann