First Black Woman to Deliver the Mail: “Stagecoach Mary” Fields A Black Woman Driving a Stage For the record books, delivering the U.S. Mail bore the envy of most men. You had to be tough, an expert in horsemanship and stagecoach repair as well as a savvy reader of the trail. It was, and still is, uncommon to find any reference to a female stagecoach driver, let alone a strong-willed female ex-slave who loved her work at the age of 60 in Cascade, Montana Mary Fields always seemed to stand out from the ordinary. Born some time in March, circa1832, she became a slave to Judge Dunn, in Hickman County, Tennessee. Mary worked willingly for the family on their large family farm. She became close friends with the Judge’s daughter, Dolly. Even after the emancipation of slaves after the Civil War, Mary continued working for the Dunn family. Mary was taught to read and write, an uncommon skill for African-Americans of that time. On to Montana -- Her childhood friend, Dolly Dunn, went on to become a nun of the Ursiline convent in Toledo, Ohio. She took on her new name, Sister Amadeus, and helped at the mission. She invited Mary to join her there. Sister Amadeus soon was assigned as Head Mistress at a convent caring for Native American girls at Saint Peter’s Mission in Montana. Mary was again invited to join her friend, now Mother Amadeus. Mary delayed going until she heard that her friend fell ill to pneumonia. Mary Fields traveled to Montana to help her friend recover. She then stayed on to help with repairs on the school buildings, eventually advancing to forewoman. She protected the nuns. Field’s reputation grew as a pistol-packing, hard-drinking woman, who needed nobody to fight her battles for her. Unfortunately, Fields was too hot-tempered, and thoguht to set a bad example for the children (or maybe the men in town were tired of Mary out-earning them). There were rumors of her shooting a man in self-defense. The mission administration decided she was a bad influence on the children and was sent away from the mission, with some financial backing from Mother Amadeus. Fields started a cafe, but was a poor cook with a big heart, and the restaurant ran out of money in short order. Fields s big heart drove her business into the ground several times because she would feed the hungry. Stagecoach Driver -- In 1895, although approximately 60 years old, Mary Fields found a job that suited her. She was hired as a U.S. Mail coach driver since she was the fastest job applicant to hitch a team of six horses. She drove the route with horses and a mule named Moses and never missed a day. It was her toughness and reliability that earned her the nickname Stagecoach Mary. This was despite heavy snowfalls that sometimes made it necessary for her to deliver the mail on foot, once walking 10 miles back to the depot. Her Cascade County regional route in central Montana ran from Cascade to St. Peter’s Mission. She drove it for eight years. Fields also earned her reputation for being tougher than most any man, out-shooting, out-drinking and out-working them all. She was an extremely popular person in Virginia City, Montana, so much so, that a Virginia City ordinance was enacted that made it legal for her to enter a saloon, a place forbidden by law to women. A Gifted Gardener -- After her stagecoach days, Fields was in her 70s, so she took it easy and opened a laundry service. Although its said she spent more time at the saloon than at the laundry shop, she also spent time in her garden, where shed collect flowers to present to the local baseball team. For every game, she would fix buttonhole bouquets for the members of each team and five large bouquets for each of those who made home runs. She also offered her services as a babysitter for $1.50 a day, which shed then spend on the little ones. In her retirement, Fields became friends with the actor, and local celebrity, Gary Cooper. She was a respected public figure in Cascade, and on her birthday each year the town closed its schools to celebrate. Stagecoach Mary died of liver failure, in Cascade, Montana, 1914, when she was a little bit over the age of 80. Her grave is marked with a simple cross. Montana native Gary Cooper wrote an article for Ebony in which he said: Born a slave somewhere in Tennessee, Mary lived to become one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath, or a .38
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 13:57:14 +0000
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