The Legend of Baby Doe: The Life and Times of the Silver Queen of the West [Paperback]

John Burke (Author), Duane A. Smith (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1989

In her pulchritudinous prime Baby Doe was called the Silver Queen of Colorado by journalists and "that shameless hussy" by the proper wives of the men who eyed her. Flirtatious, adventurous, ambitious, Elizabeth McCourt Doe gave everyone a lot to talk about when she met Horace Tabor, the Silver King of Leadville, in 1880. Three years later they were free to legalize their passion. Although thirty years separated them, they were well matched in romantic recklessness. If The Legend of Baby Doe is the lowdown on the high jinks of two public lives, it is also the story of a love that survived spectacularly good times and bad.

Before bad times came, Baby and Horace went on a spending spree. They built an opulent opera house in Denver and bought an Italian-ate villa. Baby Doe went out bejeweled and ermined, and sat at home alone, snubbed by the social dragons. John Burke has written about the giddy rise of a bonanza king who dreamed of entering the White House with Baby Doe on his arm and about the disastrous fall they took together. Wiped out by unwise investments and the Panic of 1893, Tabor soon died, leaving Baby Doe and their two daughters penniless. Reportedly, his deathbed order was to "hang on to the Matchless," a played-out mine filled with water. She managed to do that for almost four decades, struggling heroically against loneliness, poverty, and heartbreak, and becoming one of the great legends of the American West.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Duane A. Smith, a professor of history at Fort Lewis College, looks at that legend in a new introduction to this engrossing biography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261039
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261037
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars --Fascinating woman and great telling of her story--, January 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Legend of Baby Doe: The Life and Times of the Silver Queen of the West (Paperback)

The story of Baby Doe is worth reading. This well written account dramatically tells the story of her rise and fall in wealth and her personal and public lives. Anyone who appreciates stories of the American power mongers of the late 19th century will enjoy this insightful biography

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorado Silver Queen soap opera life, April 13, 2003

By 

RDtoo "Some guy in Detroit" (Detroit) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Legend of Baby Doe: The Life and Times of the Silver Queen of the West (Paperback)

I am not a fan of soap operas but the life of Baby Doe Tabor reads something like one and I found it fascinating. A rags to riches to rags true story that draws you in from start to finish. There is something about the person of Baby Doe that just draws you in and leaves you thinking about her long after the book is finished. I bought this book in 1993 on a trip to Colorado and I still pick it up from time to time and re-read it. The story of Horace and Baby Doe Tabor would make a great movie, and one was made in 1932 called Silver Dollar, sadly it is not available for home video. A good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic History of Baby Doe Tabor, August 19, 2010

By 

Mary W. Black "Lover of words" (Flagstaff, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Legend of Baby Doe: The Life and Times of the Silver Queen of the West (Paperback)

Well researched and told with an authentic voice of a historian who brings us the true facts and not a repeat of the fictional and often sensational tales woven around this remarkable woman's life. The tale is timeless and relevant to all women who struggle to find their place in the world and do the best they can with the life they are given and the life they make for themselves. Highly recommend for any serious student of women of the West in American history.