His sister Maria married Arthur Lafferty, a two-gun police sergeant in Leadville, Colorado.

For a time, Thomas settled in Worcester, Massachusetts, with his aunts, Catherine and Bridget Walsh Power, who helped "shake the greenhorn off him."

In the early 1870s Walsh heeded the call to "Go West, young man" and settled in Colorado, where he was paid well for his carpentry skills.

His Camp Bird Gold Mine near Ouray, Colorado was soon turning out $5,000 a day (equivalent to $183,000 in 2023) in ore.

[2] With this wealth, Walsh and his family enjoyed a lavish lifestyle that included trips to Europe, fine clothes, and expensive motor cars.

[5] Due to his prior involvement with the Paris Exposition, Walsh became friends with Leopold II of Belgium, for whom he designated a suite in his home.