Baby Doe Tabor and The Matchless Mine

In 1935, 'Baby Doe' Tabor (a.k.a Elizabeth McCourt Tabor) died penniless and alone, frozen in a small one room cabin near Leadville, Colorado. She along with her Husband, Silver King Horace Austin Warner Tabor, and his wife at the time, Augusta Tabor, were involved in one of the most famous love triangles in American History. Being one of the richest men in America, H.A.W Tabor and his beloved Baby Doe lived a lavish lifestyle that they afforded by the production of silver from the famous Matchless Mine to the tune of 10,000 dollars a day. Their lavish living continued until the great silver bust of 1893 when Tabor lost the entirety of his fortune and the two were forced to live their lives in squalor.

The Denver Public Library's Western History and Genealogy department has acquired the original Matchless Mine Abstract of Title (click on the images to enlarge them), which details the sale and acquisition of land and property, for the Matchless Mining Lode. Along with that extraordinary historical document, the department also recieved correspondence on the sale of the mine that provides insight into Baby Doe's state of mind at the time as well as her precarious financial situation. The correspondence is in depth and great for any researcher.

Both the correspondence and abstract can be found in the J.K. Mullen Foundation Collection (call number WH1201) and also contains information on John Kernan Mullen who eventually purchased the Matchless Mine.

For more information about the Baby Doe Tabor Saga go here 

And for a great read check out "Baby Doe Tabor: Mad Woman in the Cabin" by Judy Nolte Temple.