Her wedding necklace cost $75,000. She died guarding a worthless mine
Baby Doe Tabor, once one of the wealthiest women in America, died in poverty while guarding a mine she believed would regain its value. Her extravagant past included a wedding necklace worth $75,000 and a life of luxury with her husband, Horace Tabor, the silver mining king. After the 1893 silver panic, she lived in destitution for decades, clinging to the hope of the Matchless mine's revival.
- ▪Baby Doe Tabor was found dead in a cabin in Colorado in 1935.
- ▪She was once married to Horace Tabor, who was known for his extravagant spending.
- ▪Her wedding necklace was valued at $75,000, and she lived in poverty after the silver panic.
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Her wedding necklace cost $75,000. She died guarding a worthless mine Ellsworth Toohey 3:04 pm Fri May 29, 2026 In March 1935, Sue Bonnie pushed through three feet of snow to her friend's cabin on Fryer Hill outside Leadville, Colorado. She and Tom French broke a window and found 80-year-old Baby Doe Tabor dead on the cabin floor, partially clothed, arms flung out, her body frozen stiff into a cross. Fifty years earlier, Baby Doe had been one of the richest women in America. Her husband, Horace Tabor, the silver mining king, burned through $10,000 a day for his entire 30-day Senate term in 1883. Her wedding gown cost $7,000. Her diamond necklace cost $75,000, sold to her as authentic stones from Queen Isabella's hoard — the ones she'd supposedly pawned for Columbus.
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