Near Leadville in Lake County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Matchless Mine

Photographed by Robert L Weber

1. Matchless Mine Marker

Inscription. Historic Landmark
Matchless Mine Horace Tabor's legendary wealth came, in part, from the earth beneath this cabin. Following Mr. Tabor's death in Denver in 1899, his second wife, Baby Doe, returned to live out her life here.

Erected by Lake County Civic Center Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.

Location. 39° 15.368′ N, 106° 16.266′ W. Marker is near Leadville, Colorado, in Lake County. It can be reached from East 7th Road west of Mineral Belt Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leadville CO 80461, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley,

in the Colorado High Rockies and on the Continental Divide.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Annunciation Church (approx. 1.1 miles

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away); John B. "Texas Jack" Omohundro (approx. 1.2 miles away); Headframe (approx. 1.2 miles away); Crib (approx. 1.2 miles away); Shaker Concentrating Table (approx. 1.2 miles away); Gravity Stamp Mill (approx. 1.2 miles away); Side-Dumping Ore Car (approx. 1.2 miles away); Carnegie Library (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leadville.

Also see . . .
1. Matchless Mine. National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum website entry (Submitted on May 17, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Leadville's Famous Love Triangle: Horace, Augusta & "Baby Doe" Tabor. On March 7, 1935, Baby Doe Tabor was found dead of a heart attack in her small shack at the famous Matchless Mine, just outside Leadville, Colorado. She had, for whatever reason, adopted the storage shack at the Matchless Mine as her living quarters since her husband's death in 1899, 35 years earlier. Contrary to popular belief, she did not "hold on to the Matchless as it will pay millions again," as some have incorrectly reported were Horace Tabor's deathbed words. The Matchless Mine had long since been lost to foreclosure and had failed to produce even with several new attempts on the part of the new owners. Baby Doe was living in the tiny cabin only due to the generosity of the current owners of the worthless mine.

Matchless Mine image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Robert L Weber, July 14, 2007

2. Matchless Mine

(Submitted on December 30, 2010.)

3. Baby Doe Tabor. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on May 17, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Robert L Weber, July 14, 2007

3. Matchless Mine

Photographed by Robert L Weber, July 14, 2007

4. Matchless Mine

Photographed by Robert L Weber, July 14, 2007

5. Matchless Mine

Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2010, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,542 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 21, 2010, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. 5. submitted on December 24, 2010, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.