Stagecoach Mary Fields: The Gun-Toting Trailblazer Who Defied the West

Born enslaved in the 1830s, she became the first Black woman to work for the U.S. Postal Service

In the rugged, snow-covered terrain of 19th-century Montana, where grizzly bears roamed and blizzards came without warning, few people braved the frontier alone. Fewer still did it with the grit, reputation, and sheer audacity of Stagecoach Mary Fields — a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking, gun-slinging Black woman who carved out a legacy in the American West.

She didn’t ask for permission. She didn’t need it.

Born around 1832 in Hickman County, Tennessee, Mary Fields began life enslaved. The exact details of her early years are murky — a common injustice for Black Americans of her era — but it's believed she was freed following the Civil War, likely in her thirties. Fields worked as a servant and eventually found her way to Ohio, where she was employed by a Catholic convent. There, she formed a close bond with Mother Amadeus, the head of the order.

When Mother Amadeus moved west to Montana Territory to establish a school for Native American girls in the 1880s, Mary followed — an early sign of her fierce loyalty and independence. Montana was still the Wild West: lawless, rugged, and unforgiving. Fields took work wherever she could — hauling freight, repairing buildings, doing laundry, and keeping the convent’s operations running. She became a trusted hand and a local legend — not just for her strength and work ethic, but also for her refusal to adhere to the social expectations placed on women, especially Black women, of the time.

She smoked cigars, carried a revolver and a rifle, and was known to settle disputes with her fists — or, occasionally, gunfire. One story tells of Mary getting into a gunfight with a male coworker after a heated disagreement, an act that eventually led to her being dismissed from her work at the convent. Not for the violence, but because her behavior was deemed too "unladylike."

Photo credit: History.com

Mary was in her sixties when she landed the job that would seal her place in frontier folklore. In 1895, she became the first Black woman — and the second woman ever — to work as a Star Route mail carrier for the United States Postal Service. The position required strength, reliability, and fearlessness: she had to hitch horses, drive a stagecoach, and protect the mail from bandits, wolves, and harsh weather.

She never missed a day. Not one.

Whether it was a blizzard or a brawl, Mary delivered — literally and figuratively. If snow blocked the roads, she’d strap on snowshoes and walk the mail in by hand. Locals quickly learned that messing with Mary Fields was a bad idea. One report claimed she kept her .38 Smith & Wesson in her apron and wasn’t shy about drawing it.

Thus, “Stagecoach Mary” was born.

In the frontier town of Cascade, Montana, Mary was more than a postal worker — she was a beloved fixture. Children loved her. Townsfolk respected her. Saloons always had a drink ready. Though she was officially retired by 1903, Mary remained active in the community, opening a laundry business and working odd jobs. She was known for her generosity and hospitality, often caring for the town’s children and lending money to those in need.

She passed away in 1914 at the age of 82, having outlived many of the cowboys, gunslingers, and sheriffs who once shared the frontier with her.

Today, Stagecoach Mary stands as a symbol of Black excellence, feminine strength, and frontier defiance. In an era when most women were expected to remain unseen and unheard, Mary kicked in the saloon doors of history with a cigar in her mouth and a rifle slung over her shoulder.

She wasn't just part of the West. She was the West.

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