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WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 9. 1959Aplaque honoring petroleum pioneer B. H. van Her Lindenand the discovery of one of California's most prolific oil fields, the 600 - million barrel VenturaAvenue field, will be dedicated at Ventura Saturday.The dedication ceremonies at2:15 p.m. will be under the auspices of the Petroleum Production Pioneers. Ventura public officials and oil industry leaders e scheduled to participate.0. W. Chonette, president of the Petroleum Production Pioneerswill be master of ceremonies. The * plaque will be located in front of the Alice Grubb Memorial Hallon the Taylor lease west of the Ventura-Ojai freeway.According to Mr. Chonette, the plaque specifically honors van der Linden but is also a tribute toall the veteran oilmen who participated in the early petroleumactivity in the Ventura area.Oil was produced in smallquantities from the Ventura Avenue region as far back as the 1860' but it wasn't until the1920 s that Shell Oil Company.►spurred on by the perseverance Mr. van der Linden, finally proved the field to be one ofCalifornia’* biggest.Mr. van der Linden, a nativeof the Netherlands, had convinced Shell to lease the potential oil lands of Ventura in 1916. How-over, about five years and two-and-a-half million dollars later,Shell was ready to write off Ventura Avenue as a poor investment, and would have, except for the determination of Mr. van derLinden to prove that his faith in Ventura was well placed.Ironically, by the time that the success of the Ventura Avenueoil field was assured, Mr. van der Linden had moved on to head up Shell oil fields in the East Indies. 9 later became head of Shell’sworldwide production operations, Hit frequently returned to VenturaA44fpiPlt;nid.hirrdiI C(stIIIai8'hi' cihCtlianPsPcB. II. VAN DER LINDEN, above, is the man responsible for Shell Oil's discovery of the Ventura field. He will be honored cPhoto by Shell Oil Co. *Mr. Chonette, district produc- Sheriff William E. Hill; Assem- rtion superintendent in Ventura blyman Rex Cunningham; F. W, ffor Texaco, will dedicate the Hertel, division production manalt;iplaque. Others scheduled to speak ger for Tidewater; John Cody,at the ceremony include: Mayor honorary president of the Petro-Charles W Petit. Shell General |oum Production Pionwrs. Aln[Production Superintendent F. W. „ . , 1Pinkerton ‘'0,:erts0n. honorary vice presi- ident of the Pioneers; Tom Selser, 'Schmieder, and Roy Ventura Newspaper Editor.Guests of honor will include, president. Retired Oilmen’s Club; Superintendent of Schools Dean Ted Sutter, president, Baker Oil E. Triggs; R. L. Mobley, Ventura Tool Co.; and Paul Andrews, his-County Taxpayers Association; torian, Petroleum Production Pio-County Assessor Harvey Boiler;lt; neers.
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