“Stagecoach Mary:” first African American woman postal mail carrier

No male carrier was better suited than 63-year-old Mary “Stagecoach Mary” Fields to drive a stagecoach across ten miles of rugged, treacherous terrain--from Cascade,Montana to St. Peter’s Mission—battling frigid temperatures, eye-stinging snowstorms, and mail thieves.

Six feet tall and powerfully built, Mary, who was short-tempered and gruff, smoked cigars, drank in saloons, and engaged in gunfights, in defiance of the societal norms of the time.

Not much is known about Mary’s early years except that she was born into slavery around 1823 in Hickman County, Tennessee. In Portraits of Women in the American West,

Dee Garceau-Hagen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History at Rhodes College, stated, “Contrary to the myth of her escaping slavery, Fields either was freed by emancipation in 1863 or emancipated by the Warner family* before Civil War.”

During the 1860s, Mary travelled north via the Mississippi River, working as a chambermaid on a Robert E. Lee steamboat and as a housekeeper and laundress for families in towns along the way.

In 1870, Mary moved to the Ursuline Convent for the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Toledo, Ohio. Garceau-Hagen explained that “… one of the Warner daughters, Mary Warner, chose to become a nun … When (she) entered the (convent), Fields went with her. There Fields hired on a groundskeeper for the Ursulines”; she was also the gardener, repairperson, and laundress.

Despite Mary’s work ethic and reliability, her crude language, and crass behavior appalled the white nuns. However, some historical accounts suggest that she had a closer relationship with Mother Superior Amadeus Dunne, formerly Sarah Therese, whose family Mary had once worked for as a housemaid.

In 1884, Mother Amadeus joined Jesuits at St. Peter’s Mission, located in a prairie town near Cascade, Montana. The mission encompassed boys' and girls' schools (for Native American and white children), a church, cabins, and ranch structures. A year later, Mother Amadeus fell ill with pneumonia. Mary travelled to the mission to help; she hauled freight, repaired buildings, tended chickens, managed supplies, and eventually became the forewoman.

According to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, “Mary was unfortunately dismissed from the mission …The final straw (involved) an argument in which Mary and another mission janitor, a male, got into a fight and were agitated to the point that both drew guns. While neither ever fired their gun, this incident was enough to make the bishop of the area demand for the nuns to relieve her duties.”

Following her dismissal, Mary operated several failed businesses, including a saloon in Cascade, Montana. “From 1885 to 1914,” according to Garceau-Hagen, “Mary Fields was the only black (sic) resident of Cascade … the record suggests a tacit struggle between Fields and the townsfolks over her social identity and position.” Mary refused to fit into racial stereotypes such as mammy or servant. “Unsure how to categorize her, townspeople subjected her to rumor and speculation.”

Mary’s fortunes changed for the better in 1895 when she signed a contract to be a Star Route Carrier with the U. S. Postal Service. Mother Amadeus donated a stagecoach. Her American Battlefield Trust bio noted, “(Her) gritty affect matched perfectly with the demands of this job, she protected mail from bandits by having her revolver and rifle on hand at all times (and) landed her the nickname “Stagecoach Mary,” as she drove her stagecoach over all terrains, whether there be rain or shine.”

Upon retirement, Mary--who loved children--babysat for neighbors and established a laundry business.

 In an article for blackpast.org, writer Leslie Budewitz, described Mary’s death, “In December 1914, two boys found her lying in the blowing snow in a field at the edge of town” according to. “She was later taken to Columbus Hospital in Great Falls, where she died on December 5, 1914. Her funeral service was held at the new Pastime Theatre, the largest building in Cascade.”

Sendoso.com contributor Meira McFarquhar capsulized Mary’s life, “… all her quirks, coupled with her atypical career choice, made her a staple in her community. By the time of her death at the age of 82, Mary went on to become a notable figure in Montana history where her grave still stands today.”

Photo of Mary Fields courtesy: Wikimedia Commons