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Jerry De Santo papers, 1841-2010 (bulk 1901-1998)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
De Santo, Jerry, 1928-
Title
Jerry De Santo papers
Dates
1841-2010 (bulk 1901-1998) (inclusive)
Quantity
13.5 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 642
Summary
Jerry De Santo (Jerry DeSanto) was a Glacier National Park Ranger for 20 years and devoted a great deal of his time to studying the Park’s native plant life. He was a prolific writer after his retirement and published several books and articles on Glacier Park and Montana topics.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula. There is one restricted folder containing student papers that requires the archivist’s approval for access.

Languages
English.
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Biographical Note

Jerome Samuel De Santo (DeSanto) was born in Duluth, Minnesota on May 6, 1928. The third of five children, he was sent to the St. James orphanage for a period of time after the death of his mother. His father remarried and De Santo went to live with him and his new wife. In 1946, he joined the United States Air Force and served with the occupying force in Europe until he was honorably discharged in 1949. After he left the Air Force, De Santo travelled to Alaska with his brother and worked construction jobs and with the fire control service until the death of his father took him back to Minnesota.

Following his father’s death, De Santo studied geology at the University of Arizona for two years and then transferred to the University of Denver where he studied English and then to the University of Colorado Boulder where he received a B.A. in 1956 and a M.A. in Italian history in 1958. With the urging of his mentor, Dr. Harrison Thompson, De Santo travelled to Italy on a research fellowship and returned to Boulder and completed all of his requirements for a Ph.D. in history. However, he refused the degree he had earned and joined the National Park Service in 1965.

De Santo had done summer seasonal work in Yellowstone National Park from 1950 until joining the Park Service as a ranger in 1965; he initially was assigned to Yellowstone but was transferred to Glacier National Park in May of 1966. He worked at Belly River, Goat Haunt, and as a backcountry ranger until he was transferred to the Polebridge Ranger Station where he stayed until his retirement in 1986.

He retired to a cabin to Canada and began spending his time collecting, photographing, and cataloguing native plants. He also took time to research and write several books and articles including: Alpine Wildflowers of Glacier National Park, Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta; Logan Pass: Alpine Splendor in Glacier National Park; Bitterroot: Montana State Flower.

De Santo contracted viral encephalitis in 2000, which severely affected his health. He stopped working on his research and writing projects and was no longer able to participate in strenuous physical activities. His retirement became much more sedentary as he attempted to recuperate from his serious illness and ultimately he lived at the Montana Veterans Home. He died in July of 2017.

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Content Description

This collection contains materials related to Jerry De Santo’s interest in Glacier National Park particularly its botany. There are many slides and photographs of the plants inhabiting the Park, as well as research materials including field notes, maps, and reports. Less prevalent but still a substantial part of the collection, De Santo collected information on important botanists of Montana and the Northwest. He also maintained files on the wildlife of both Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. His personal files include photographs, immigration information, passport information, correspondence, clippings, and get well cards from his 1983 bear attack. He kept extensive research files on Glacier National Park history, specifically, on the different peaks and the boundaries of the Park. The collection also contains research materials for his many writing projects as well as copies of drafts of his books and articles and a copy of his book Bitterroot: Montana State Flower.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive copyright transferred to The University of Montana--Missoula.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Jerry De Santo Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is divided into four series:

Series I: Subject Files, 9 linear feet, 1841-1999

Subseries 1. Research, 6.5 linear feet, 1841-1999

Subseries 2. People, 2.5 linear feet, 1901-1999

Series II: Personal, 0.3 linear feet, 1962-1999

Series III: Publications, 0.5 linear feet, 1985-1999

Series IV: Photographs and Slides, 3.7 linear feet, 1861-1996

Location of Originals

Many of the photographs and research materials on Glacier National Park are available at the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana and the Glacier National Park Museum and Archive Collections in West Glacier, Montana.

Custodial History

The materials arrived in two separate accessions. The bulk of the donation was in the possession of the creator until it was transferred to Duane Hampton who brought the materials to Archives and Special Collections for a term of temporary storage in 2000. Jerry De Santo’s power of attorney, Karen Feather, permanently gifted the materials to Archives and Special Collections in 2002. The second accession was in the possession of the creator until it was collected from his home and car by Rachel Potter and donated to Archives and Special Collections in 2011.

Future Additions

There are no expected additions to this collection.

Processing Note

The creator’s original order was maintained wherever possible, many folders retain their original titles. At the same time, materials collected by individuals other than the creator and deposited in a later accession had no discernible order and were organized topically during processing. Slides were maintained in their original containers, while photographs were removed from envelopes and albums and placed in folders in their original groupings and order. Index cards were removed from six different filing containers and rehoused in their original order. All paper items were refoldered. Financial information, a PanaVue automatic slide viewer, maps, the book Sappers: the Royal Engineers in British Columbia and a certificate of commendation from the Park Service were removed from the collection. Digital materials were separated from the collection to determine long-term maintenance and access.

Separated Materials

A copy of Alpine Wildflowers of Glacier National Park, Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta by Jerry De Santo was transferred from the collection to Special Collections. Groups of plant specimens and their background information were also removed from the collection and transferred to the University of Montana Herbarium. Three books, A Guide to Zermat and the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper, Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860-1869 by Edward Whymper, and Edward Whymper by F.S. Smythe, and a folder containing De Santo’s Lee Creek property records were removed from the collection by Jerry De Santo’s power of attorney, Karen Feather. Digital material, containing cover art for his Bitterroot book, was removed from the collection during processing to determine long-term maintenance and access and will be added at a later date.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Mountain plants--Alberta--Waterton Lakes National Park

Geographical Names

  • Montana--Maps
  • Yellowstone National Park

Finding aid prepared by Kellyn Younggren
2013

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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