Five Bright Sunbonnets: Tales of Douglas County Pioneers

By Joe Gschwendtner

Five young girls peer out the back of a covered wagon, their brightly-colored sunbonnets distract from the tears streaming down their faces. They have just given up everything, even their straw dolls, to lower the wagon's weight...

Douglas County, Colorado, is blessed with a variety of high-quality writing talent and thus numerous books addressing facets of its rich history. Five Bright Sunbonnets is a new entry delivering some colorful insights not previously available on the shelves. Accounts are often written or refashioned in the pioneer's own voice, delivering the reader a more intimate engagement with the subject.

This approach, though not revolutionarily different, is a breath of fresh air. The author's father's immigrant history gives him a heightened sensitivity about what it means to pull up one's roots and roll the dice with one's life. While the author may prognosticate, he does it in a way that can't help but make you a fan of the person he brings alive again.

The author's love affair with Douglas County jumps from the pages. In so doing, he articulates the basis for the stream of immigration to Douglas County both then and now.

Featuring stories of Kit Carson, D.C. Oakes, Sarah Coberly, Clarence Frink, Sarah Gleason, William Lambert, Silas Soule, Winkler Ranch, the Kroll and Schweiger families, Charles Heuer, the Manhart family, Gus Nelson, and many more.

The second edition has nine new chapters

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F2JF9G1S
• ISBN13: 9798315557203
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"