His efforts, and persistence through repeated setbacks, led to the first discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Saudi Arabia, which took place at the well known as "Dammam No.

Steineke spent his early years on a homestead near Brookings, Oregon, one of nine children of German immigrants.

At the age of twelve, he left home for nearby Crescent City, California, where he found employment at a lumber mill.

In the years between graduation and the beginning of his work in Saudi Arabia, he explored for oil in California, Alaska, Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand.

The geological formation known as "Dammam Dome" was the first target of exploration, initially investigated by Schuyler B. Henry and J.W.

In 1937 he made a round trip of geological reconnaissance across the Saudi Arabian peninsula with a small party of other geologists.

7, was begun at the urging of Steineke, who wished to test the deeper porous limestone "Arab Zone" underlying impervious anhydrite.

Steineke, now the chief geologist of the venture, convinced his managers to at least wait for the results from Dammam #7, which was still drilling at a slow pace.

[6] Steineke had found clues to oil at a site 30 miles from Dammam, where, in November 1940, the first well flowed at nearly 10,000 barrels per day.