for Doc Susie –

The True Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado Rockies

Think for a moment that you are living in Grand County in 1910.

What would you do to make a living?

What kind of house would you have?

What would life be like for women?

For children? What about school?

What would you eat? In autumn? In winter? In spring? In summer?

What would you wear?

How would you get to other towns in the winter?

What would you do for fun?

What would be your worst chores?

What would you read?

Describe how Susan Anderson, M.D. looked. What, in her character, helped her to withstand the harsh realities of life in Grand County?

Discuss Susan Anderson’s relationship with her family.

Doc Susie never married, yet Grand County has always had more men than women. Why do you think she was unable to find a husband?

Have you visited any of the places mentioned in the book? Her house in Fraser? The roadbed over Rollins Pass? The depot in Fraser? The West Portal of the Moffat Tunnel? How have they changed? What remains the same?

These days, childhood vaccinations prevent many of the diseases that killed children when Doc Susie practiced medicine. Ask your grandparents to tell you about measles, mumps, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio, tetanus, etc.

If you wanted to do historical research, how would you go about it?

How has the Moffat Tunnel benefited Grand County? Has it done any harm?

Why was Doc Susie’s protest against the Denver Post considered sensational?

Discuss the historical tensions that exist between Western Slope communities and the Front Range as they are explained in this book.

What to you think accounts for the popularity of this book?

Who do you know who helps in the community, who does worthwhile things, who makes a difference in other people’s lives? What characteristics do they share with Doc Susie? What makes them special?