Works from the Four Corners from Back of Beyond Books

Item 57 is an obscurity, The Bitter Days of Baby Doe Tabor and Memories of the High Country, by Theresa O'Brien. This is a small, stapled pamphlet, no publisher stated (evidently self published). Baby Doe Tabor was the 25-years younger second wife of H.A.W. Tabor, a one-time Colorado senator who made a huge fortune in silver mining in Colorado. He was a generous man who gave liberally to civic causes and people needing a hand. Unfortunately, when the government demonetized silver in 1893, and stopped buying the metal, the price collapsed. Tabor lost his entire fortune, finally obtaining a job as a postmaster to earn a living. He died in 1899, and by legend, his final words to Baby Doe were “Hold on to the Matchless,” his main silver mine. Tabor believed it would one day be worth a fortune again. Baby Doe heeded the advice, moving to a small cabin by the Matchless in Leadville, Colorado, where she remained, a recluse, for the remainder of her life (Baby Doe lived until 1935). Neighbors found the 81-year-old widow's frozen body there one morning. $50.

Item 81 includes four original maps drawn and signed by Norton Allen. Allen drew maps for Desert Magazine, creating 747 of them over a 49-year career (and run for the magazine – 1937-1985). Allen guided visitors and treasure hunters through his maps of the desert southwest. These four cover Natural Bridges, Wupatki Basin, Lee's Ferry, and Oljato (Monument Valley), all in Utah. $1,550.

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