Tom's Baby - Breckenridge, CO, USA - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

The plaque reads:

Tom's Baby
A gold nugget found on July 23, 1887, by
Tom Groves and Harry Lytton in the Gold Flake mine on the
famous Farncomb Hill. It was discovered in a pocket in the
underground mine, weighing more than 11 and 1/3 pounds.

The nugget was named "Tom's Baby" because Tom swaddled the
nugget in a blanket like a baby and made his way to Main Street,
where the proud "father" showed his prize to all. "Tom's Baby"
still remains the largest gold nugget ever found in
Colorado. Today, rub "Tom's Baby" for luck, and may good
fortune always find you.

For the residents and guests of this great town.
Anna and Mike Dudick
2015

The oversized figure of Tom Groves cast in bronze is wearing typical miner's grab of the period (though much cleaner than he would have been working in a dirty mine). He is wearing a typical rough cut shirt with the sleeves rolled up, rugged pants (the precursor to jeans), boots with gaiters, a leather belt holding a canteen with cartridges on the side. The hat features an upturned brim with a gold pan and pick at his feet.

"In 1887, two prospectors unearthed a gold nugget at a Breckenridge-area mine that weighed 13 pounds, 7 ounces before washing. The largest nugget ever found in Colorado, it became known as “Tom’s Baby” when Tom Groves swaddled his find for the trip into town. A larger-than-life bronze sculpture in the new Prospector Park invites visitors to rub the nugget for luck, while commemorating the historic find and local mining history. Rubbing it, in turn, polishes the bronze. The piece was envisioned and funded by Anna and Mike Dudick.

Funded by Anna and Mike Dudick and commissioned by the Town of Breckenridge" (from (visit link) )

Also see (visit link) for a thorough newspaper article about the find and history.

URL of the statue: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.