Van Stratton Welch

Van Stratton Welch. Van was a worker's worker and this sculpture is dedicated to all the oilfield workers who make this industry great. , Van Stratton Welch was born in 1880 in a log cabin in Allegheny County, New York, the son of a Civil War veteran and oil barge captain. At age 12 he began roughnecking and by age 19 he drilled his first commercial well. , Van went on to drill wells in the eastern United States and eventually settled in Robertson, Illinois, with his wife, Gertrude. They had five children, Van. Wendell, Marjorie, Phoebe and Jimmy. From Illinois, Van took on various exploration expeditions that included Canada and Wyoming, where he drilled the discovery well in the prolific Elk Hills Basin. , Van had often heard of activities in the Southwest United States. In 1923, he made an exploration trip with his rig to New Mexico, where he drilled two dry holes west of the Pecos River near Dayton. Discouraged, he was prepared to move his rig to Texas. Instead, Martin Yates convinced him to stay and the partnership of Flynn, Welch and Yates (FWY) was established. After buying out the interest of his old partner, Thomas Flynn, Van had a 118/144 (or 81.9%) interest in the partnership of FWY. , The company selected a location 7 miles east of the Pecos River for the Illinois #1, which had an encouraging oil show. In January 1924, ¾ of a mile west of #1, the Illinois #2 blew out during drilling at an estimated rate of 4 million cubic feet per day and was dubbed "The Big Gasser." Van was able to move the rig off unharmed and, after a month, the location for the Illinois #3, ½ mile northeast of #1, was selected. History was made in April 1924, when the Illinois #3 produced the first commercial oil on New Mexico State Lands. , Van settled in Artesia where he continued to explore in New Mexico and elsewhere. He contributed much to the community and to charities until his death in 1969 at age 89. Van was distinguished by being elected Pioneer of Pioneers at the International Petroleum Exposition in 1966. He was one of the original 10 men inducted into the Permian Basin Oil Man Hall of Fame when it opened in late 1969. , This monument was commissioned by the descendants of Van Welch, created by Robert Summers, and cast by Hoka Hay Foundry. , July 2, 2005.