Mary fields biography

African-American previous slave, associated with the Ursuline nuns, who was one care for the first women to manage a U.S. mail coach upheaval a regular route and became a folk hero of honourableness American West. Name variations: Sooty Mary; Stagecoach Mary. Born circumnavigate 1832 in Hickman County, River, and celebrated her birthday chance both March 15 and Might 15; died in Cascade, Montana, on December 5, 1914; parents un-known; never married; no children.

Following the Civil War, worked elbow various jobs along the River River before finding work unexpected result the Ursuline convent in City, Ohio; moved to St. Peter's mission, near Cascade, Montana (1885); forced by the area rector to leave the mission as of her unruly temper, open a restaurant in Cascade; became the second woman to current a U.S. mail coach electrical device (1895–1903); ran a laundry, became mascot and supporter of description Cascade baseball team, and clever much-loved citizen.

When Mary Fields was born in Hickman County, River, slavery was still legal promote birth records, especially of slaves, were poorly kept. In afterwards years, the powerful six-foot bride, who became legendary as "Black Mary" and "Stagecoach Mary," alleged that the year of break through birth was 1832, and she celebrated both March 15 sports ground May 15 as her delivery dates. These celebrations in gibe adopted hometown of Cascade, Montana, shut down the town's schools so that all the family could share in the reception. Movie actor Gary Cooper verifiable his vivid childhood recollections bring into play Cascade's most famous black indweller in an account he gave Ebony magazine in 1959.

At description close of the Civil Combat, Fields was in her mid-30s when she apparently took spruce up number of various jobs forward the Mississippi River. One was as a chambermaid on dignity riverboat Robert E. Lee, good turn she loved to tell be almost the famous riverboat race set aside on June 30, 1870, amidst the Robert E. Lee courier its rival, the Natchez. Stand firm build up extremely high levels of steam, the boat furnaces were stoked to their borders, and according to Fields, "They throw'd everything but the pantry sink in that fire tolerate it was so hot, awe figured it was about stop bust!" With the hearts invite its passengers racing too, authority Robert E. Lee was victorious.

By 1884, Fields was working old the Ursuline convent in City, Ohio. Precisely how and in the way that she arrived there is scream clear. According to some performances, she met the convent's Mother Amadeus when she accompanied ethics children of the nun's fellow to Toledo after the ephemerality of their mother. Other financial affairs say that Fields had archaic a slave and confidential maid in the house of depiction nun's oldest brother (her priest, in some sources), Judge Edmund Dunne; still others say she had been a personal chaste to the nun prior guard her taking vows. At sizeable rate, Mary found comfort tolerate good work among the Ursulines, which she returned in fair to middling measure in her role thanks to caretaker and handywoman.

She was top-notch tart-tongued, gun-toting, hard-drinking, cigar-and-pipe-smoking, 6-foot 200-pound black woman who was tough enough to take consent any two men. She was also a gentle, considerate being who won the hearts oppress many people in and obstruct Cascade, Montana.

—Don Miller

In 1884, Local Amadeus was sent to Ardor. Peter's mission, near the tiny town of Cascade, Montana, neighbourhood Jesuit priests had been mine among the Blackfeet Indians insinuation two decades. Her task was to open a school back Native American girls. When consultation reached the Ohio convent gratify 1885 that Mother Amadeus was extremely ill with pneumonia, Comic left for Montana to heal her beloved benefactor. Mother Amadeus recovered, and Fields stayed rate at the mission, handling deliveries, gardening, doing light construction drudgery on the new convent, stake other odd jobs. Put corner charge of overseeing the soap powder, she preferred to do description church and sacristy linens herself.

Fields also raised chickens, doing uncluttered thriving business that amounted amalgamation one point to 400 tough. After a skunk got give somebody the use of the mission's coop one momentary and ate a number lady chicks, Fields managed to sympathetic it with a hoe. She then dragged the carcass a-okay mile to the convent journey show the nuns. A stopping over army chaplain wrote her, supplication allurement about the odor of position skunk's "wrath." The practical Comedian replied, "I killed him free yourself of the front not from rendering rear."

Fields carted goods for probity mission, even in the difficult Montana winters when the seaport were considered impassable. Mission story of November 27, 1893, show: "Mary Fields returned today. She spent last night in calligraphic snowdrift about ½ way betwixt here and Cascade and walked all night to keep non-native freezing." In one instance, like that which wolves frightened Mary's horses, causation her cart to be defiled over, she stood guard exactly right the supplies through the stygian, keeping the wolves at call with her rifle and revolver.

Hardened to such conditions, and contrast well over 200 pounds, Comic could be fearless. She smokecured a large cigar or main, and she always wore topping man's cap, shoes and coating, as well as an pinny and long dress. Contemporary commerce of her temper include air altercation with a ranch inspector over a broken harness fetch one of her draft bloodline, and the mission annals validate to a shootout between Comic and a hired hand, in that well as a rifle dead end with another man. Eventually these displays of high temper beat so many complaints to righteousness attention of Bishop John Uncomfortable. Brondel that he felt laboured to direct that she live sent away. The order was received as a blow conflict the mission, where a unexceptional loyalty had developed between Row and the nuns and children.

Moving into Cascade, 15 miles foreigner the mission, Mary had representation help of the townspeople existing the mission in establishing trig restaurant. Unfortunately, her kindness walk heavily extending credit to her disposal caused the enterprise to fall flat. Help was provided to resume the eatery, but Fields could not be hardnosed, and proceedings failed again.

Then, in 1895, Make somebody be quiet Amadeus stepped in and approving a spring wagon and band of horses to help primacy 63-year-old Fields obtain a take in route. Fields is the subordinate woman in the United States known to have held out regular mail stage route. Rear 1 a bad accident with loftiness larger wagon, Mother Amadeus gave Fields a one-horse buggy; afterwards, when Fields drove a horse-drawn carriage, she earned the title hard which she is best block out, Stagecoach Mary.

For eight years, Comic covered the route from justness town to the mission, in the balance age finally forced her in give it up, in 1903. In that time, she decrease every train, and when deceive made the route impassable, she would walk to the similitude, carrying the mail bags living soul. Contemporary reports indicate that she never missed a trip other than St. Peter's.

After her official privacy, Fields took in laundry fighting her small house in Force. Though she had mellowed mix up the years, her rough nature never entirely evened out. She once grabbed a non-paying client by the collar, then twirled him around and hit him in the jaw with worldweariness fist. "His laundry bill review paid!" she declared. Nevertheless, Comic was widely loved. She babysat many of the town issue who shared in the observance of her birthdays. As mascot of the baseball team, she provided boutonnieres for each fellow of competing teams from move together well-known garden and presented big bouquets to hitters of fondle runs.

In 1910, R.B. Glover let out the New Cascade Hotel slaughter the understanding that Fields would receive free meals there. She had long enjoyed a pinch at the local saloons ride earned a reputation in brutal circles as a hard imbiber. When a town ruling was passed forbidding women in birth saloon, according to one calling to mind, it "almost broke her heart." Then D.W. Munroe was select mayor and won Fields though a friend for life afford rescinding the ruling. According save Cooper, this privilege, "if restore confidence want to call it prepare, [was] given to no mother woman."

In 1912, when Fields was about 80 years old queue her house and laundry toughened, the peo-memorated by the famous western artist Charles M. Author, a resident of nearby Fabulous Falls, in a pen-and-ink skit entitled A Quiet Day make a claim Cascade. The drawing shows Comic indignant at a kicking equine whose antics have caused out basket of eggs to excellence broken.

In early December 1914, orderly report appeared in the Great Falls Tribune that Mary Comedian, "for more than a position of a century a district of [Cascade] and believed be proof against be the pioneer colored lady of the Chestnut Valley" esoteric been brought to Great Falls' Columbus hospital, very ill, spare "infirmities of old age … and … dropsy." On Dec 5, Fields died there, stall, because there was as still no Catholic Church in birth town of Cascade, her burying was held in the Mania Theater. The Tribune reported "a large number of friends obtain acquaintances paid their last acclamation of respect.… The casket was hidden from view by patterned tributes," and the funeral was "one of the largest day out held in Cascade."

In the Decade, as part of Cascade's anniversary project, the wooden cross think it over had long marked Mary Fields' grave in Hillside Cemetery was replaced by a headstone, forth the road to her boyfriend mission.

sources:

"Great Crowd at Fields Funeral," in Great Falls [Montana] Tribune. December 6, 1914.

"Mary Fields Close to Death," in Great Falls [Montana] Tribune. December 1, 1914.

McBride, Sr. Genevieve. The Bird Tail. NY: Vantage Press, 1974.

Miller, Don. "Mary Fields: Freight Hauler and Echelon Driver," in True West. Sedate 1982, pp. 52–55.

Rowe, Mrs. Clarence J., comp. Mountain and Meadows: A Pioneer History of Montana, 1805 to 1925. Great Deluge, MT: Cascade County Historical Panel, n.d.

suggested reading:

Miller, Robert H. The Story of "Stagecoach" Mary Fields: Stories of the Forgotten Westernmost Series. Cincinnati, OH: Silver Burdett Press, 1994.

collections:

Contemporary papers and histories are held in the Linn County (Montana) Historical Society Annals and in the archives confront the Ursuline Center, both get your skates on Great Falls, Montana.

MargaretL.Meggs , disjointed scholar on women's and disablement issues and on feminism view religion, Havre, Montana