How Colorado’s prize gold nugget ended up mislabeled as dinosaur bones in a bank vault

Tom’s Baby: Colorado’s Vanishing 13.5-Pound Gold Nugget

In 1887, miners Tom Groves and Harry Lytton struck gold in Breckenridge—literally. They blasted into a pocket 90 feet below ground and found a massive 13.

5-pound gold nugget. Fearing theft, Groves wrapped it in a blanket and held it like a baby on their walk to town, thus giving it a name: “Tom’s Baby.

” After a brief parade through town, the nugget went to Denver but strangely vanished for 85 years.

In 1972, a wooden box marked “dinosaur bones” in a bank vault revealed the missing treasure, now oddly lighter by several pounds.

The gold nugget’s strange journey continues at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where visitors can see Colorado’s largest gold specimen with their own eyes.

Miners Struck Gold in a Hidden Underground Cavity

Tom Groves and Harry Lytton hit the jackpot on July 23, 1887, while working deep underground. The two miners blasted into a gas-filled pocket 90 feet below the surface at the Gold Flake Mine near Breckenridge.

Inside, they found walls lined with crystals and a huge chunk of gold weighing 13. 3 pounds.

They pulled out 243 ounces of gold from the entire pocket. This golden chunk soon became famous as the biggest gold specimen ever found in Colorado.

The Gold Needed a Blanket for Its Trip to Town

Groves came up with a simple but clever plan to avoid getting robbed on their way back to town. He wrapped the huge gold chunk in a blanket to hide it from anyone they might meet.

As they walked, Groves carried the heavy bundle in his arms like a baby. This led to the gold nugget’s lasting nickname: “Tom’s Baby.

” Their careful plan worked, and they made it safely back to Breckenridge.

Proud Miners Showed Off Their Golden Baby

Once safely in town, Groves and Lytton couldn’t keep their find secret anymore. They walked proudly through the streets of Breckenridge, showing everyone their golden treasure.

They took the specimen to a local assayer for cleaning. The acid cleaning broke off small pieces, dropping its weight to about 11 pounds.

The miners got 75 percent of the value, while the mine owner, Mr. Ward, took the gold itself.

A Train Carried the Treasure to Denver

After buying Tom’s Baby from the miners, Ward sent the valuable gold specimen on a train to Denver, where it would be safer and worth more money.

The Gold Flake Mine where they found Tom’s Baby belonged to the Wapiti Group of mines. John Campion, a rich businessman, owned this mining group and would soon play a big part in the gold’s story.

The specimen stayed in Denver under Ward’s control until its next owner.

A Museum Founder Got His Hands on the Gold

Around 1900, John Campion bought Tom’s Baby for his personal collection. Campion helped start the Colorado Museum of Natural History and gave money to support it.

When the museum officially became a scientific institution, Campion gave the famous gold specimen to their collection. This gift let the public see Colorado’s largest gold nugget.

Tom’s Baby quickly became the main attraction in the museum’s mining displays.

People Flocked to See the Golden Wonder

Throughout the 1920s, Tom’s Baby sat on display at the Colorado Museum of Natural History. Visitors came from everywhere to look at the impressive golden specimen.

The museum showed it off as Colorado’s largest gold find, drawing gold fans and curious tourists.

Children and adults stood amazed at the sight of the crystalline gold chunk, which kept drawing crowds until 1930, when everything changed for the famous nugget.

World War II Sent Tom’s Baby into Hiding

Museum staff took Tom’s Baby off display in 1930 as policies changed.

When World War II created worry about keeping valuable items safe, they moved the gold specimen to a vault at First Denver National Bank.

The staff thought this secure spot would protect the treasure during the war years.

The bank vault offered better security than the museum could, but this choice would lead to unexpected problems for the famous gold specimen.

Nobody Remembered Where They Put the Gold

Years passed, and the staff who knew about Tom’s Baby’s location left the museum. The knowledge of where they stored the gold faded away.

Someone wrongly labeled the wooden crate with the nugget as “dinosaur bones” in the bank vault. Museum records became unclear about where Tom’s Baby was as decades went by.

For 85 years, Colorado’s largest gold specimen sat forgotten in a bank vault, just miles from where it once drew crowds.

A History Buff Asked the Right Question

In 1972, Reverend Mark Fiester researched Breckenridge history and wondered about the famous Campion gold collection. He asked museum staff what happened to Tom’s Baby.

His question made curator Jack Murphy search through old records and storage areas. Murphy’s hunt led him to check the items at First Denver National Bank.

There, among various stored things, he found a wooden crate with a wrong label that would solve the decades-old mystery.

The Gold Lost Weight During Its Disappearance

When Murphy opened the crate labeled “dinosaur bones,” he found Tom’s Baby inside, but something wasn’t right.

The specimen now weighed only about 8.5 pounds, much less than its original cleaned weight of 11 pounds. Somehow, the gold had lost 3-4 pounds during its 85-year disappearance.

To make sure they found the real Tom’s Baby, museum staff brought in Ward’s elderly daughter, who confirmed it was indeed the famous gold nugget, despite its missing weight.

Visitors Can See the Gold Today

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (the museum’s new name) put Tom’s Baby back on public display in 1974.

The famous gold specimen has stayed on exhibition continuously since then, allowing new generations to appreciate Colorado’s largest known gold nugget.

Despite its mysterious weight loss, Tom’s Baby remains an impressive sight and an important piece of Colorado mining history.

The fate of the missing 3-4 pounds of gold remains unexplained to this day, adding another layer of mystery to the already fascinating story.

Visiting Breckenridge, Colorado

You can learn about Tom’s Baby, Colorado’s largest gold nugget, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science at 2001 Colorado Boulevard.

The museum is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission $25.95 for adults. The 13.5-pound nugget disappeared for 85 years before being found mislabeled as dinosaur bones in a Denver bank vault.

In Breckenridge, visit the bronze sculpture of Tom Groves at Prospector Park on 112 North Main Street.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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