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“Mr. Buffum graduated in 1890 and was immediately made assistant to the Irrigation Engineer and Meterologist, Louis G. Carpenter, which place he filled until March 1891 when he was selected to go to Laramie, Wyoming, to start the Experiment Station work in Wyoming and carry on until a director should be elected. In 1900 he was invited to come back to the College as Director of the Experiment Station at an increased salary. We moved to Collins in Sept. 1900, as stated above.”

— Excerpt from a letter from Prof. Buffum’s widow, Maude Southworth Buffum
  • In the Ruth J. Wattles Collection, a letter dated May 9, 1945, was from Buffum’s widow, Maude. Mrs. Buffum stated that her late husband, Burt, was actually a member of the faculty from 1900-1902. Looking for other printed sources to confirm this revelation, the archivists scoured old Silver Spruce yearbooks and early Collegian newspapers. And sure enough, Professor Buffum graced the pages of both sources!

  • Mrs. Buffum’s letter also hinted at her husband’s personal life as she mentioned her years as a student at CSU. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Buffum first met on campus, either as students or through her father’s service on the State Board of Agriculture. A few photographs donated by Buffum’s daughter depict his classmates and future wife, circa 1886. Yet another photograph, obviously taken on the same day, made its way into the Archives from Mrs. J.W. Lawrence (Elizabeth Coy), the first female graduate from the College and wife of Engineering Professor James W. Lawrence. 

  • Beginning with a dusty, century old notebook that had travelled around the CSU campus throughout the years, the story of Professor Burt C. Buffum and his family emerged from the many collections of the University Archives. The archivists had to abandon their hunt due to other looming duties, but did note that the Buffum family name  continued to appear in various archival collections, well into the 21th century. The University Archive offers hundreds of “History Detective” plots, all waiting to be discovered!

Burt Buffum’s student record, 1885, found in student record ledgers housed in the Archives.

Cover of the 1903 Silver Spruce yearbook. The archivists found Buffum’s photograph and details about his teaching position at the College in this published source.