Historical Facts: Horace Tabor in "The Ballad of Baby Doe"

This is the first in a short series of historical posts on the leading characters of Winter Opera Saint Louis' upcoming production of The Ballad of Baby Doe. The first in this series is the opera's leading man: the American prospector, businessman and politician Horace Tabor.

Horace Tabor

Facts on Horace Austin Warner Tabor:

• Born 1830 in Holland, Vermont and worked in the quarries of Maine and Massachusetts as a teenager. 
• Left New England for the Kansas Territory in 1855 to help draw anti-slavery settlers to the land. 
• Married Augusta Pierce, daughter of a former employer in Maine; the couple had one son (Maxcy) during their marriage. 
• In 1877, Settled with Augusta in Leadville, CO, where he ran several businesses before becoming Mayor. 
• Partook of the Colorado Silver Boom by buying the immensely profitable "Matchless Mine" for $117,000 after selling earned interest on the "Little Pittsburg" mine for over $1,000,000. 
• Used his great wealth to start newspapers, build a bank, and establish the Tabor Opera House, which still stands today in Leadville and figures prominently in the opera itself.
• Served as Colorado Lt. Governor from 1878-1884; for three months in 1883, he temporarily served as a U.S. Senator. 
• Secretly married Elizabeth "Baby Doe" McCourt before acquiring a legal divorce from first wife Augusta, then held a public marriage ceremony in Washington, D.C. the same year he served as Senator.
• Had two daughters with Baby Doe: Elizabeth Bonduel Lily and Rosemary Silver Dollar Echo. 
• Supported William Jennings Bryan in his first failed presidential bid in 1896. 
• Made three unsuccessful bids for Colorado Governor.
• Repeal of the Sherman Silver Protection Act in 1893 wiped out Tabor's fortunes, as silver was no longer required to be purchased by the U.S. Government.
• Still respected despite his financial decline, he was appointed as Denver's Postmaster in 1898.
• Died in 1899, leaving Baby Doe to hold onto the Matchless Mine until her death 36 years later.
• Buried in Jefferson County, Colorado, next to Baby Doe.

Notable baritones that have sung Horace Tabor include Richard Fredericks, Norman Treigle and Walter Cassel, who performed in the 1956 premiere and recorded the role opposite Beverly Sills at New York City Opera in 1959. For the opera, Douglas Moore wrote several duets, ensembles plus two arias for Tabor. His first act aria "Warm as the Autumn Light," in which Tabor expresses his newfound enchantment with the vivacious Baby Doe, has emerged as a popular aria for baritones in the standard operatic repertoire. Below is a recording of Walter Cassel singing this aria:

You can learn more on Horace Tabor and the other historical figures of the opera by visiting BabyDoe.org

The Ballad of Baby Doe runs February 8th (8pm) and 10th (3pm) at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts on the campus of Chaminade College Preparatory School (425 S. Lindbergh Blvd; map). Tickets may be purchased by calling 314-865-0038 or online at http://winteroperastl.tix.com/ $10 Student Rush Tickets available at the door; valid Student ID required. For more information on this and future productions, visit WinterOperaSTL.org