Mary Fields (Stagecoach Mary) was the FIRST Black American & 2nd woman to deliver the mail in the U.S. At 60, she applied for a mail carrier position in Montana's Cascade region. She aced the job by skillfully hitching her horses faster than anyone else. Despite bandits, wolves, & grueling weather, Mary never missed driving the route with horses & Moses, her mule. She would often trek by foot over 10 miles with sacks over her shoulder.
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Born in 1832, Mary endured a life of slavery until the Civil War. Though her exact birthplace is uncertain, she was believed to be born in Hickman County, Tennessee. After gaining her freedom in 1863, Mary migrated north and worked as a servant and laundress for traveling families. She eventually settled in Toledo, Ohio, where she found employment at the Ursuline Covenant of the Sacred Heart.
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In 1894, Mary faced several complaints including cursing and smoking. The situation culminated in an incident where a white man physically assaulted her, refusing to "take orders from a [N-word] woman." When the man reached for his gun, Mary, like a gunslinger, swiftly drew her own pistol from under her coat, and fired back in self-defense. As a result, she was relieved of her duties at the Mission.
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Mary became a Star Route Carrier, an independent contractor for the U.S. Post Office, around the age of 60. She carried & delivered mail using a stagecoach donated by Mother Amadeus Convent. Mary's preparedness with her revolver and rifle protected the mail from bandits. She was called "Stagecoach Mary" for her ability to drive the stagecoach across all terrains, regardless of the weather.
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Retiring after 8 years, Mary settled down, opening a laundry, tending to her garden, and supporting the local baseball team by selling flowers. The town of Cascade, Montana, granted Mary an exception when women were prohibited from entering bars and closed its schools to celebrate her birthday. After a life that spanned over 80 years, Mary Fields was laid to rest below the mountain trail leading to St. Peter's Mission in 1914.
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Mary Fields was more than just a mail carrier, a laundress, a housekeeper. She not only defied societal expectations but also transcended the limitations placed upon her by her race, gender, and age. Her perseverance and independence made her an tower of strength and resilience. In an unforgiving era, Mary Fields led an extraordinary life. That life challenges the stereotypes of Black Americans as passive victims of racial oppression.
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Like Bass Reeves, Mary has been featured as a true to life character in films and TV series. Mary needs her own stamp!
- In the documentary South by Northwest, "Homesteaders" (1976) starring the late Esther Rolle
- TV movie, The Cherokee Kid (1996), played by Dawnn Lewis.
- TV movie, Hannah's Law (2012), played by Kimberly Elise.
- Western film, They Die By Dawn (2013), played by Erykah Badu.
- In the film The Harder They Fall (2021), played by Zazie Beetz
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Books and magazines about Mary Fields
- In 1959, actor & Montana native Gary Cooper, who Mary babysat when he was a child, wrote an article for EBONY in which he wrote, "Born a slave somewhere in Tennessee, Mary lived to become one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath.”
- Fearless Mary: The True Adventures of Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver by Tami Charles
- Mary Fields: The Story of Black Mary by James A. Franks
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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco
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