The Lowdown in Leadville

Leadville's Tabor Opera House, built in the heyday of the silver boom.

When I researched and wrote Baby Doe Tabor: Matchless Silver Queen, my award-winning biography of Elizabeth Tabor, my search for information about The Tabors and their Matchless Mine took me to the nooks and crannies of Leadville’s mining district. 

This June, I was invited by Bob Hartzell, former director of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, to present Elizabeth Tabor's story during a special event. The plan was to invite museum members to a banquet honoring Mrs. Tabor, followed by my PowerPoint presentation about the Tabors’ life in the boom town and my research findings. Guests were invited to wear period clothing, which motivated participants, including myself, to show off Victorian finery. A signed copy of Baby Doe Tabor was included at each place setting.

After the banquet, the group of twenty people drove to the shack at the Matchless Mine where Mrs. Tabor lived her final years. We shared more stories in the dimly lit cabin. Although we witnessed no supernatural occurrences, we felt strongly that Mrs. Tabor’s spirit was present.

The next morning, we met again at the Matchless Mine for a tour of the site. Our guide was retired geologist Fred Mark, a remarkable researcher who combined a passion for history with his professional knowledge and expertise in geology and mining. After hiking over some rough terrain to study the property, we returned to the restored headframe where I signed more books.

The weekend was easily one of my most fun and fascinating experiences as a writer. Leadville is still working its magic, and I look forward to more adventures there.

Leadville, 100 miles west of Denver, boasts many historic attractions. Stop by the visitors’ center on Harrison Avenue to pick up brochures and maps, for current access, hours, and road conditions. They can provide directions for a walking tour in town as well.

LEADVILLE HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS:

• National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum – 120 W. 9^th St., open year round
• Matchless Silver Mine and Baby Doe Tabor’s Cabin – 1 ¾ miles east on 7^th St., open May-September
• Mineral Belt and Road of the Silver Kings – in California Gulch, site of Oro City’s ghost town and Tabor’s General Store, follow Monroe Street from Leadville
• Tabor Home Museum, home of Horace Tabor and his first wife, Augusta – 116 E. 5^th St.
• Annunciation Church, where Elizabeth Tabor worshipped, at Poplar and East 7^th St.
• Tabor Opera House, 308 Harrison Ave., open May-Oct, closed Sundays.
• Delaware Hotel – 700 Harrison Ave., built in 1886, offers various walking tours.
• Silver Dollar Saloon – 315 Harrison Ave. – built in 1879.
• Baby Doe Room in the Lake County Public Library, for quiet reading and
  research among period antiques.
• Heritage Museum – 102 E. 9^th St., - open May-Oct.
• Healy House & Dexter Cabin – 912 Harrison Ave., open May-Oct daily.
• Boom Days Festival – historic celebrations and parade – 1^st weekend in August

Joyce B. Lohse is administrator for Women Writing the West. When she is not writing historical biographies, she enjoys lurking around in cemeteries and archives looking for stories.