Baby Doe Tabor: Matchless Silver Queen

by Joyce B. Lohse

Elizabeth Bonduel McCourt was born in 1854 in Wisconsin. She moved west, married a man named Harvey Doe, and came to be called “Baby” by the miners in Central City, Colorado. After attracting the attention of wealthy Horace Tabor of Leadville, she began a very public affair with Tabor ending with marriage in a private ceremony in 1882.

A lavish lifestyle ended after fifteen years with loss of the Tabor fortune in the Silver Crash and Horace's death in 1899. Baby Doe spent the last thirty-five years of her life in a small cabin outside the Matchless Mine in Leadville.

Genres: Biography

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2011

About the author

Colorado author Joyce B. Lohse combines a degree in journalism with genealogy research skills and a passion for western history to create award-winning biographies for all ages. Her seven biographies have won two silver WILLA awards, five Colorado Independent Publishers’ EVVY awards, and a Colorado Authors’ League Top Hand award. She has also written many articles, and her program essays are included in several Pikes Peak Library District history symposia publications.

Subjects for Joyce Lohse’s biographies include Colorado’s Baby Doe Tabor, General William Palmer, Unsinkable “Molly” Brown, Educator Emily Griffith, Dr. Justina Ford, and Colorado’s Original Governor and First Lady, John and Eliza Routt. In 2008, Joyce accepted induction into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame’s for Eliza Routt. During the past decade, she has presented over 200 programs to Colorado Front Range groups. In her free time, Joyce lurks in cemeteries and archives, researching stories about Colorado pioneers.

"I combine journalism, genealogy and history to write biographies. My goal is to preserve and share true stories about pioneers and history of the American West through books, articles, and presentations."
-- Joyce B. Lohse

Reviews

[Laurel Starkey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cliff notes version of Baby Doe’s life

If you are looking for the longer version of a Wikipedia article on the subject then this book is perfect for you. It took me about an hour to read it. It gives all the major details without any depth or analysis. There is no plot other than the arc of Elizabeth’s life.

H.A.W. Tabor was an ambitious man who wanted to be rich and show off that wealth. He reminds me of Trump, except that he lost the elections he was a candidate in. He lived to impress others. Baby Doe started out as a pretty girl who’d had it with being poor and wanted to use her looks to find a sugar daddy. She was spunky. She was smart. She married the richest of them all. When tragedy struck, she went down with the ship.

There are better books about the subject than this. It’s accurate and well documented but more pamphlet than book.

[Michelle Schulten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall book was okay. I was a bit disappointed that there was so much information that really didn't pertain to Baby Doe, in my opinion there was too kuch information about Augusta Tabor and too much information about Horace Tabor's early life. Neither Augusta's life or Horace's early life needed to be in a book with this title. I also found a few factual mistakes and too much subjective opinions for a non-fiction book.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read of the Silver King his wives and why Baby Doe Tabor fell so hard and not to get back up was her doing. Very interesting book. Love the pictures and the addresses to see some of the places.

[Robby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very accurate and quick portrayal of the famous Baby Doe Tabor. I've spent a lot of time reading Colorado history and used to work as a historical tour guide. Coming from both a historical and narrative perspectives this book is pure history. When it comes to Baby Doe a lot has been written so you have to ask yourself how does this book contribute to the existing literature? What's new? Sadly every book about Baby Doe has some sensationalism which is often present as fact. This book however is pure fact. If you're interested in Baby Doe start with this book. You'll know what's real and what is false or speculated. Joyce Lohse did a great job in that respect. My only criticism is the book is a little too short and does not flow particularly well. However, after meeting the author, I can understand there is a lot missing because she simply couldn't verify a lot about Baby Doe. So the greatest strength of this book is also its greatest weakness. With that said, I highly recommend it even for a casual history lover or a lover of scandal. Its not particularly dense and could easily be read in 2-3 hours. You'll learn a lot.

P.S. if you have an particular interest in historical "life in the home" the author spends quite a bit of time on that subject. Baby Doe is both a modern and an old-fashion women this book balances those two attributes well. So if you're into western history and particularly a women's perspective this is a must read.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is really too short, (less than 100 pages), I still learned several things about the Tabor story that I did not know. I have read everything ever printed about Horace, Augusta and Elizabeth (Baby Doe), and didn't think there was anything out there new....but I was wrong. Thank you Ms. Lohse for this short story, I am glad I found your book. I appreciate the extra research you must have had to dig through to get these new "tidbits". This is indeed a thrilling, interesting and sad story of the men and women who dared to find their wealth in the gold and silver veins of the American West.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth (Baby Doe) McCourt met Horace Tabor in Leadville, Colorado in 1880. It was in Leadville that Tabor had become a very wealthy man after silver was discovered at the Matchless Mine which he owned. Their attraction was immediate, and they were soon inseparable. However, there was one problem. Tabor was still married, and his wife would not agree to a divorce. Joyce Lohse has written a succinct, but thorough account of the life of one of Colorado’s most interesting and colorful personalities.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just spent two days in Silverton Colorado, I found this book fascinating. I loved the story and the detail to the history of an interesting era in our country and the people who made it so.

[Kathryn Bundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who was curious about this historical woman, this was a good beginning. It covered her life and times and was an easy read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book and it was amazing. I grew up in Leadville and so I love reading about Leadville and the history of some of the famous places and people.