In 1879, silver tycoon, Horace Tabor, purchased the richest silver mine of the time, an investment that brought in $2 billion by today’s standards. However, wasteful spending by him and his wife, “Baby Doe,” in combination with decreased silver prices, left the couple penniless by the mid-1880s.
When Horace Tabor died in 1899, very little was left for Baby Doe save the Matchless Mine. In her final years, Elizabeth moved into the mine’s cabin where she lived in poverty and as a recluse. She died of a heart attack in March of 1935 at the age of 81. Her frozen body was not discovered until days later.
Relive the Tabor’s story at Matchless Mine and Baby Doe’s Cabin. Guided surface tours go through the mine’s headframe, hoist house, blacksmith shop, and Baby Doe’s cabin, where visitors learn about the greatest of all “Silver Kings.”
For more information, visit www.MiningHallofFame.org.
Matchless Mine and Baby Doe’s Cabin
1.25 miles up East Seventh Street