The “Silver Queen” wanted fame and fortune and that is just what she did. “Baby Doe” became a role model for many women during her time as she went from rags to riches obtaining the “American Dream”.
Elizabeth Bonduel McCourt was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1854 to a not so wealthy family. Her mother refused to let her work so that she would remain beautiful in hopes to marry a wealthy man. Elizabeth married her first husband Harvey Doe in 1877. His parents where not happy about the marriage because he was choosing to marry a woman who was from poverty. They soon moved to Colorado in hopes of finding gold. They believed that they would get rich quick, but they soon found out there was a lot of work and little gold.
Elizabeth was not afraid of work and worked beside her husband. It wasn’t common for a woman to be working, especially to be mining. She was soon recognized by the other male miners for her beauty and strong work ethic. The miners gave her the name “Baby Doe”. The gold industry was not what they had expected, and they were not profiting. They moved, and Harvey had a hard time keeping a job. He started drinking excessively and was hardly ever home. “Baby Doe” wanted to make something of herself, she was tired of living in poverty, she wanted fame and fortune and was going to do whatever it took to achieve that goal! She sued for divorce in 1880.
After the divorce Elizabeth moved to Leadville where she soon met Horace Tabor, a wealthy man who owned several silver mining companies. He was married to Augusta Tabor, but started seeing Elizabeth behind his wife’s back. Mr. Tabor ended up divorcing his wife who then sued him for money and properties. She moved away and remained a wealthy respected woman. Elizabeth and Horace were officially married in 1883. Their marriage was looked down upon because Mr. Tabor divorced his wife and married a younger woman.
The Tabors were one of the richest families in the United States and Elizabeth was now known as the “Silver Queen”. They eventually had two daughters Elizabeth in 1884 and Rose Mary in 1889. Things were looking good for the Tabors, business was booming, they were making more money than they knew what to do with, and they opened a new Opera house. It seemed that “Baby Doe” finally had the life she always imagined! She became friends with many of the actors and actresses that performed in their opera house, she was covered in fur coats and fancy diamond jewelry, and her and Horace had a good marriage. She inspired her new friends as they were fascinated with how hard she worked and what she went through to get to where she was now.
In 1883 the silver industry crashed, and the tabors lost everything including their wealth. Horace got a job that didn’t pay hardly pay much, but both him and Elizabeth stayed positive that they would soon get their wealth back. They truly believed that the silver industry would make it again. Horace became ill and died, even after the loss of everything she remained by his side. She moved back to Leadville and was known as the madwomen, she lived in a small cabin by herself and spent the rest of her life in poverty. Neighbors offered her food and money, but she refused it. A movie was made about her life and she refused to see it and refused all donations, “When a movie about Baby Doe Tabor came out in 1932, the promoters offered to pay her and her expenses if she would attend the premier in Denver. She refused, and in fact, would never see the movie because it was about her old life” (Legends of America, 2018). She was found dead in her one-bedroom cabin at the age of 81 in 1935.
Even though Elizabeth Tabor died in poverty, she was still able to achieve her goals and was once one of the richest women in the world. She became a role model for many women during her time as they to like everyone else admired her beauty and strong work ethic. She was known for her positivity and showed women that with hard work and determination they too can live the life of their dreams. She was so admired that during her lifetime a movie was made about her without her even knowing. After her husband’s death she chose to live a lonely life and remained optimistic.
The “Silver Queen” wanted fame and fortune and that is just what she did. Working hard from the bottom to obtain the “American Dream”!
