Horace Tabor is by far the most famous mining man in Colorado history. His name will forever be closely tied to the great Leadville excitement of 1877 to 1879.​

Tabor came to Colorado during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, and for the next 40 years dedicated his energies to mining. He came into his great fame and fortune in 1878 with the discovery of the Little Pittsburg Mine, followed by the Chrysolite and, perhaps the most famous mine in Colorado, the Matchless.​

He invested heavily in mining districts in the San Juan Mountains, Aspen, Cripple Creek, Leadville, and Boulder County, and in Utah, Texas, Arizona ,and New Mexico.​

He was the first Colorado mining millionaire to reinvest the majority of his money at home. He built the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, and invested in the local telephone company, gas company, and the Tabor Grand Hotel. In Denver, he built the Tabor Grand Opera House, considered to be the finest between St. Louis and San Francisco.​

Horace Tabor is a true Colorado legend. He was a leader in politics, business, and mining in the state, and is the only Colorado miner to have an opera based on his life, “The Ballad of Baby Doe.”​

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