Nusbaum's father, Edward, who was a brick mason, taught him skills that Jesse drew on during later on, working at Mesa Verde National Park.

Jesse Nusbaum was an early reader and photographer and developed a keen interest in cliff dwellings and other artifacts of ancient Southwestern Native American cultures.

During these summers, after he had finished the survey work, Nusbaum joined the staff of the Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett led School of American Research at Rito de los Frijoles in the future Bandelier National Monument, West of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In 1909 anthropologist Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett then invited Jesse L. Nusbaum to Santa Fe, New Mexico to oversee the restoration of the Palace of the Governors that had fallen into disrepair.

In this new assignment, Jesse L. Nusbaum also conducted periodic archeological surveys, investigations, excavations, and ruins stabilization in other States, together with other archeologists or persons interested with Native American cultures, such as Charles Fletcher Lummis.

Nusbaum also came back to Mesa Verde for the excavation, repair, and stabilization of Balcony House, an important and difficult project that extended in October and November 1910, and was completed after a satisfactory inspection by Edgar Lee Hewett[2] In 1911 and 1912, Nusbaum spent nine months in Washington, D. C., to work on the Southwestern 'Painted Desert' exhibits sponsored by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway for the Panama–California Exposition to be held in San Diego, California, in 1915 and 1916.

[3] The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway used some of Nusbaum's photographs of Native Americans to advertise their exhibit, with eleven of his pictures appearing in the official "Painted Desert" brochure.

In 1915, working under archeologist Alfred V. Kidder, Nusbaum began the stabilization and repair of the mission ruins at Pecos Pueblo, just east of Santa Fe.

While Nusbaum was working in New York he took part in several southwest expeditions, especially one in southwestern Utah, at Hawikuh Pueblo and at a Basketmaker culture cave named ‘Du Pont’ from its financial backer.

[5] It was in this capacity that Jesse L. Nusbaum issued in November 1929 a report to the Department of the Interior raising concerns about the damages caused by an increasing number of visitors on Pueblo ruins, including theft and vandalism.

[6] Nusbaum continued this dual capacity of National Park Service Superintendent and archeologist until January 1930, when he took a leave of absence subsequent to the Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur approving his appointment as acting director of the new Laboratory of Anthropology at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Residing on Santa Fe, New Mexico, he remained involved in archeology and with Mesa Verde, providing advice and contributing to various books and publications.

[11] During his younger days, and throughout his career, Jesse L. Nusbaum took many photographs of southwestern Native American people, mostly Navajo and Pueblo, and of sites, buildings and villages, as well as of other archeologists and their colleagues and friends.