Jeffrey J. Safford was born May 14, 1934 to Hildegard Anna Clara Jaeger and Raymond Maurice Safford. He grew up on Staten Island, NY. He received his A.B. in Music from Wagner College, 1956; an M.S. in Secondary Education (English), Wagner College, 1959; and his PhD in History from Rutgers University in 1968. He married June Safford, whom he met at Wagner College, in 1957. They had four children: Hugh, Meredith, Alexander, and Brooke. He died January 1, 2021.
In 1968 he joined the faculty of the Montana State University History Department as an Assistant Professor. He served as an Associate Professor from 1972-1977. From 1977 until his retirement in 1991, he was a Professor in History. He was given the rank of Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy for his distinguished career at MSU.
Safford began his career with a focus on maritime history and published his dissertation as
Safford had numerous interests outside of his academic appointment, including European travel, bird watching, fly fishing, Bobcat sports, golf, slow-pitch softball, and music. Both he and June sang in the Bozeman Symphony Choir for twenty-five years. He directed four multidisciplinary 3-day symposia in Bozeman that focused on Bach (1985), Mozart (1991), Brahms (1998), and Mendelssohn (2009).
The collection consists of research material for the MSU centennial history; research material on the Red Bluff mining district near Norris, MT; and materials created over the course of the four music symposia that Safford directed.
Series 1: MSU Centennial History
Series 2: Red Bluff
Series 3: Music Symposia
Both Series 1 and Series 2 contain audio recordings of oral history interviews that do not have releases. Accordingly, the audio recordings are not available for use, but transcriptions of and notes on those interviews are available.
Research materials, student papers, and oral histories assembled by Dr. Jeffery J. Safford during the Centennial History Project were donated to Special Collections by Safford in March 1997. Materials on Red Bluff and the music symposia were donated by June Safford in 2021.
This collection was processed 2009 May 18. In 2021-2022, the two additional series were processed and the finding aid revised.
Research materials created or collected by Safford while compiling his contribution to the book
Research materials arranged by subjects and/or departments. They may include histories; reports; brochures; pamphlets; student papers; newspaper clippings; journal articles; news releases; photographs and photocopied photographs; memos; proposals; drafts of papers; correspondence; bibliographies ; staff directories; oral histories; research notes and miscellaneous support documents for chapters 4-8. The titles and time period of those chapters were the Renne Years, 1943-1964; Growing Pains, 1964-1970; The Politics of Education, 1970-1977; Good Times, Hard Times, 1997-1993; and Sport as Symbol.
Oral histories of individuals connected with the history of Montana State University. They include transcribed interviews, taped interviews, interview notes, and some miscellaneous materials. Twenty-two were conducted by Safford and thirteen by Pierce Mullen. Individuals include staff, faculty, students, boosters, community leaders, and government officials. Most interviews were conducted between June 1987 and February 1992. Transcriptions were sent to the interviewees for editing. Taped interviews were conducted by Jeff Safford and Pierce Mullen.
None of the oral history tapes themselves have been cleared by the interviewees for public use. However, Safford specified that the transcriptions of the tapes have been reviewed by the interviewees, and considered them appropriate for access.
Accordingly, the transcripts are open for research, but the recordings are not.
Tape 2 was lost during research.
Papers written for Jeff Safford's History 400 class in the spring of 1990 for the MSU Centennial Project. Students wrote the history of a department or topic at the university including oral interviews with individuals who could support their research. The transcriptions of the interviews were paraphrased versions of the conversations which were not taped. One paper also from Robert Rydell's History 400 seminar.
Safford stated that the student papers are available for research, though without specific clearance from the students. The interviews on which the papers were based were neither taped nor reviewed by the interviewees, with one exception: The Martha Foster interview about the Native American Studies program was reviewed by department personnel.
Accordingly, the papers are open for research.
The Red Bluff series documents research collected by Safford about the Montana State University Red Bluff Research Ranch near Norris, Montana. This research covers a variety of material, both geographic and cultural in nature. Safford researched the emergence of the Red Bluff ranch and Norris Hot Springs, as well as the nearby settlements of Virginia City, Bozeman, Butte, and Sterling. Within this research, Safford collected geologic and financial data of several mines in the proximity of the Red Bluff ranch, known as the Hot Springs Mining District, as well as the ownership and management of these mines by the occupying mining companies from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Notably, Dr. Safford includes research into affairs of the New-York and Montana Mining and Discovery Company, the Centennial Gold Mining Company, the Red Chief Mining Company, and the Revenue Mine Developing Group, amongst others. In collaboration with the Montana Historical Society, Indian Affairs Offices, and locals of the region, Safford collected legal and business documentation such as legislative information, accounting and funding details, and county records; maps and field surveys of both the mines and the hot springs; and photographs of significant geographic locations. This series also contains information about his time researching at Red Bluff such as accounting records, notes from interviews he conducted with locals, and his correspondence with various organizations.
Other mining companies mentioned but without in-depth content include S.P. Harper & Company; Dead Beat Mining Company; Appollo Mining Company; Rip Van Winkle Mining Company; Eagle Mining Company; Independent Quartz Mining Company; Rider, Hunter & Company; Forlorn Hope Company; Montana Gold & Silver Company; Scranton Silver & Gold Mining Company; The Northwestern Mining and Exploring Company; Montana Mineral Land & Mining Company; and Argenta Mining Company.
Because there are no releases signed by the interviewees, the oral history tapes are restricted.
Safford's notes on the oral history interviews are available for research.
This series contains documentation, notes, and program information for four music symposiums and other smaller performances in Bozeman, Montana coordinated and researched by Safford. The four symposiums centered around four major composers: Bach in 1985, Mozart in 1991, Brahms in 1997, and Medelssohn in 2009. The material features collaboration between Montana State University organizations including the MSU Music Department, the MSU History and Philosophy Department, MSU band directors, Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU), the Alumni Foundation, as well as local Bozeman organizations such as the Symphony Board, Montana Arts Council, and PBS-Yellowstone. This series focuses heavily on the cultural impact and collaboration of groups in Bozeman, Montana, as well as the historical significance of the featured composers. Administrative material in this collection includes records and correspondence regarding venues in Bozeman, catering information, accounting and funding records, program and event schedules, advertising, blogs, etc. There is also material relating to the public's reception of these performances.