In 1877, 22 year old Elizabeth (Lizzie) McCourt married Harvey Doe in Wisconsin. They moved west to Central City, Colorado, where Harvey was to manage a gold mine, a wedding gift from his father. Inexperienced Harvey found difficulty in working the mine, so Lizzie put on pants and boots, and worked alongside him. With a pretty face and curls, and a lively spirit, Lizzie raised eyebrows around town, and other miners began to call her "Baby Doe". Harvey resented this attention and her help. He lost the mine, and other jobs, and the Does moved to nearby Black Hawk into smaller housing. He started drinking heavily, drifting around camps looking for work, and visiting brothels, leaving Lizzie alone for weeks.

Lizzie divorced Harvey and moved to Leadville (80 miles away) with a friend (and admirer), Jake Sands, to work at his new clothing store. In Leadville, Cloud City, two miles high, her story continues...