Tragic Colorado Story Inspired Once-Thriving Restaurant Chain

If you've lived in Colorado long enough, it's likely you learned about Baby Doe Tabor in history class. However, if your time in Colorado dates back a decent handful of years, you might even remember the popular themed restaurant that was based on the historic figure.

Baby Doe's Matchless Mine: A Forgotten Colorado Gem

In 1978, Baby Doe's Matchless Mine opened its doors at 2520 W. 23rd Avenue in Denver, overlooking I-25.

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The restaurant was so popular that additional locations opened up in places like Birmingham, Alabama, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Who Was Colorado's Baby Doe Tabor?

Born in 1854, Baby Doe Tabor was the wife of a wealthy Colorado businessman who, after his business operations failed, left his wife penniless after he passed away.

Baby Doe would pass away years later, allegedly freezing to death in Leadville's Matchless Mine after a severe snowstorm.

What Was Baby Doe's Matchless Mine Like?

Much like Casa Bonita, Baby Doe's Matchless Mine was a theme restaurant with minecarts, windmills, and a building that was designed to look like an old mine, much like the one in which Baby Doe passed away.

Keep scrolling to check out vintage shots of the Baby Doe's Matchless Mine location that once operated in Birmingham, Alabama:

What Happened to Colorado's Baby Doe's Matchless Mine?

Unfortunately, Baby Doe's Matchless Mine would go out of business in 2004, and the building would be demolished in 2007.

Read More: Casa Bonita: A Denver Gem Saved By South Park Creators

Like many beloved businesses in Colorado, the building was torn down in favor of new development, and the property looks like this today: