2015 Luminary Series – Bill Steele

If there is a single word to describe Bill Steele, that word would be “Explorer.” Since childhood, Bill’s path in life was clear: he would devote his time, his money, his attention, and his pas- sion toward unraveling the mysteries of the under- ground. Steele has done extensive explorations in Indiana, in TAG, in Kentucky, in Texas, in Montana, in Oklahoma, in Arkansas, in China, and in Mexico. Bill was a key member of Richard Schreiber’s original descent trip to 440-foot-deep Incredible Pit in Ellison’s Cave, Georgia. And, during an intense summer camped at the north cirque on Montana’s Silvertip Mountain, Steele and company bashed away in multiple, albeit unsuccessful, attempts to make the Silvertip complex the deepest cave in the United States. Bill Steele is perhaps best known for his work in, and writings about, Sistema Huautla. Capturing three decades of effort from his own point of view, Bill authored the popular book Huautla: Thirty Years in One of the World’s Deepest Caves. Bill also wrote Yochib: The River Cave, and co-authored a chapter in Encyclopedia of Caves.