William Dean Steigers, 89, owner of Bitterroot Bullet Company and the world-famous Bitterroot Bonded Core Bullet, died Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, at his home in the Lewiston Orchards from natural causes. Though his body experienced declining vigor with the passing of years, his mind remained sharp to the end, especially when relating what he loved best - hunting and wonderful life stories.
He was born Aug. 11, 1926, in his mother's family home at Pine Creek near Cherrylane. He was the first of five children born to Ernest Aloysius and Nellie May Dean Steigers. Bill was raised near the Fir Bluff whistlestop on the north side of the Clearwater River, along with his sister, Kathleen, and three brothers, Kenneth, Keith, and David. He attended primary grades at the Agatha, Stony Point and Myrtle Beach schools. His grandmother, Almeda Dean, was his first teacher and he was always grateful for her firm but loving head start to his education.
Bill graduated from Lapwai High School in 1943 at the age of 16 and worked for the next year helping his family on the farm. They raised a truck garden with watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, potatoes, squash and corn. His family sat out at night by lantern light to make wooden crates with slats from Potlatch Forests Inc. Each Tuesday and Friday (the "load days"), Bill and his father drove the truck, filled to the top of the racks with boxes of freshly picked produce for sale on their usual route to Orofino, Nezperce, Craigmont, Winchester and Culdesac. He also worked as an assistant to Mr. Maund, supervisor of the Nez Perce County Road Department, for less than $1 per hour.
Bill took the bus up to Spokane to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Forces about a month before his 18th birthday in 1944, applying as an aviation cadet (air crew). He reported for duty Feb. 1, 1945, to Fort Douglas, Utah, where he was outfitted with shoes and clothes that didn't seem to fit his tall, lanky frame. For three weeks, they were taught close-order drill (how to march) and learned how to care for the big blisters on their feet. They worked 14 to 16 hours per day of kitchen patrol. The men were then shipped to Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, for basic training, where they were trained in marksmanship and maintenance of the M-1 carbine and M-3 submachine gun. On May 1, 1945, Bill was transferred to Lowry Field in Denver, where he completed a 17-week course as a remote control turret mechanic 960. He even became an instructor of that class for a short time. Bill served in the 587th Air Engineer Squadron, 75th Air Service Group, stationed on Guam, Marianas Islands, for five and a half months. Sgt. Steigers was responsible for performing first and second echelon maintenance service and repair on remote control turret systems (repair of gunnery and all armaments) on the B-29 AAF Heavy Bomber. He served in the Pacific after World War II until his honorable discharge on Nov. 22, 1946, from Fort Lewis, Wash. Bill earned the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal.
Bill married Mary Louise Taylor on June 19, 1948, in Boise, and the young couple made their first home in a small house close to his parents. He helped build cribbed grain elevators at Cherrylane, Lapwai and Culdesac. On his 23rd birthday their first daughter, Charlotte Jean, was born. The small family moved to Gifford to farm in the area for several years. Their second daughter, Marianne, was born during this time. He also cleaned seed and treated and bagged the seed so it could be sold to area farmers. On their fifth anniversary in 1953, they purchased and moved into their house in the east Lewiston Orchards. Four fine sons, William Dean Jr., John Allen, James Edward and Michael Ernest, were born between 1954 and 1958. Mary and Bill continued to reside in that same home for the rest of their lives.
Bill worked from 1953 to 1970 as a driver-salesman for Consolidated Freightways, Garrett Freightlines and other common carriers delivering freight locally. He become a pilot and owned and flew his own plane for pleasure for a few years, along with his brother, Ken. He answered mail for Jack O'Connor, an author and outdoorsman, on occasions when Jack was traveling and away from his desk.
In 1964, Bill started Bitterroot Bullet Company in Lewiston, where for nearly 30 years he manufactured the world-famous big-game "Bitterroot Bonded Core Bullets." In an article titled "North Fork Bullets Design Philosophy" published in the Dakota Rifle Magazine, author Mike Brady characterized the influence that Bill Steigers had on design and general adoption of premium rifle bullets as "the designer of the daddy of all bonded bullets, Bill Steigers of Bitterroot Bonded Core Bullets." Mr. Brady went on to write that Bill's Bitterroot Bonded Core Bullet "will always be known as the bullet that started the bonded era and to which all other bonded bullets are (or should be) compared." As his colleague and faithful friend Andy Tillman, former small arms editor for International Defense Review recently wrote, "Bill Steigers was the first person to develop and perfect a bonded core hunting bullet. The Bitterroot Bullet Company (BBC) commercialized bonded bullets in the early 1960s, nearly 15 years before any other manufacturer. Bill's bullets were used by big game hunters from Alaska to Africa. Mr. Steigers wrote the first five Speer reloading manuals and developed a method for determining the chamber pressure of rifle cartridges (case head expansion) that is still used by reloaders today. Bill influenced the design of modern hunting rifles as an early advocate of a quicker-than-normal rifling twist, stainless steel barrels and composite stocks."
Bill enjoyed many years of camping, fishing and huckleberrying with family and friends at Camp Martin. They'd drive a few miles out to Lean-To Ridge and then hike down to Middle Creek, because the fish they caught there tasted the best. From 1932 to 1978, fall elk hunting camp was set up at Cabin Meadows out from 12-Mile Saddle. Exciting hunting stories involving Bill, his father, brothers, cousins and friends still ring in our ears.
Bill joined the National Rifle Association in 1947 and became a lifetime member in 1951. He had a competitive shooting history of Smallbore and Big Bore, 1950 to 1951; and Pistol, 1953 to 1954. He was the first president of Elk Unlimited, Lewiston Chapter, in 1975. In 1991, he was appointed to the NRA Hunting and Wildlife Conservation and Black Powder committees, and in 1992 he was named to the NRA Bylaws and Resolutions Committee. Bill was elected to the NRA Board of Directors for two successive three-year terms, 1995 to 1997 and 1998 to 2000. Bill kept up a busy and stimulating correspondence by letter, email and telephone with scores of big-game customers and enthusiasts from around the world until the end of his life. In 1990, Bill wrote, "I have promoted conservation of our natural resources and protection of our Second Amendment rights all of my adult life by example and by verbal encouragement of younger generations."
Bill is survived by three brothers, Kenneth (Linda) Steigers of Juliaetta, Keith Steigers of Missoula, Mont., and David (Montez) Steigers of Juliaetta; two daughters, Charlotte (Dennis) Sauer of Salt Lake City, and Marianne (Michael) Hanson of Federal Way, Wash.; three sons, William (Sharon) Steigers of Littleton, Colo., John (Laura) Steigers of Richland, and Michael Steigers of North Ogden, Utah; 13 grandchildren, Shae and Joshua Ahles, Jayme Murbach, David (Stacie), Michael, and Matthew (Erica) Sauer, Chadron, Marc, Laura, Emily, Tyson (Katie), Benjamin, and Sarah Steigers; and eight great-grandchildren, MacKenzie Ahles, Tristan, Sky, and Benjamin Sauer, Peyton Murbach, Vienna Steigers, and Isacc and Nevaeh Martinez.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 67 years, Mary Steigers (2015); a sister, Kathleen Ratliff (1997); and son James Steigers (1998).
Cremation has taken place. Please join us for a celebration of Bill's life at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cottonwood Creek Community Church, 20706 Gifford- Reubens Road, Culdesac, ID 83524. The good ladies of the church will provide a comforting meal to family and friends after the service.
For online condolences or to share a great story about Bill, go to malcomsfuneralhome.com.
Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army.
