From Dance Hall Queen to Angel of Mercy: the Story of Silverheels

The Colorado Gold Rush of 1859 led to the rise of numerous small mining camps and towns, and the broad valley called South Park was no exception. One of those towns was a place called Buckskin Joe. By 1861, it was a thriving town of some 2,000 people, and boasted three hotels, several stores, a courthouse and numerous dancehalls and saloons. Among its famous residents were H.A.W. (Horace) and Augusta Tabor, who ran the most successful store in town while Horace provided grubstakes for ambitious miners.

One day in 1861, a veiled woman stepped off the stagecoach. She immediately found work at the first dance hall she visited, and soon became a great favorite among the miners for her beauty and her skill as a dancer. Because she always wore silver shoes when she worked, she became known as Silverheels. She moved into a small cabin just across the creek from the town and soon was giving performances in Buckskin Joe and all the surrounding towns. She was easily the most popular dancer in the area and found herself much in demand.

Epidemics frequently ravaged the mining camps, and that year was no exception as a pair of sheepherders brought smallpox into the little town. Many of the townspeople hastily left for Denver, and nearly all the women and children in Buckskin Joe were shipped out as soon as possible. But many of the miners stayed despite the danger because they were afraid of claim jumpers. Silverheels stayed as well, risking her own life to fight the epidemic. Working tirelessly, she nursed sick miners, cooked and cleaned for her patients, and did whatever she could to take care of their homes and livestock.

Many of the citizens of Buckskin Joe pulled through the sickness because of Silverheels' efforts, but eventually she paid a high price for her compassion. Exhausted by the work she had done, she, too, fell victim to the terrible disease. She was nursed through her illness by some of the very people whose lives she had saved, she recovered from the smallpox. But her legendary beauty was forever marred by the scars left by the terrible disease.

After the epidemic had passed, Silverheels moved away from town, settling in a cabin at the foot of a nearby mountain. The grateful men of Buckskin Joe and other nearby towns took up a collection of $5,000, which was no small sum in those days, as a way of thanking her for her hard work and sacrifice. A delegation went to her cabin to present the money to her, but the cabin was empty. The only thing left of her was a pair of silver shoes left on the table.

Word of her disappearance spread through the camp. The $5,000 was offered as a reward in an attempt to find out where she had gone, but no one ever claimed the money. She disappeared into history as quietly as she had come. But the people of South Park eventually found a way to honor her. The beautiful mountain she had lived near was named Mt. Silverheels, and her legend lives on among the people who live in South Park.

Even though Silverheels vanished from South Park, her story may not have ended there. It is said that sometimes a veiled female figure can be seen moving among the headstones at the town's little cemetery, only to disappear if approached. Perhaps Silverheels did not leave Buckskin Joe after all.