- Mary Fields (1832?-1914), known also as “Stagecoach Mary,” was a Montana pioneer and the second woman stagecoach driver on a U.S. mail route. Proud, independent, over 6’ tall and handy with a shotgun, Fields was born a slave in Tennessee but escaped to Toledo, OH, where she became a general handywoman at an Ursuline convent. After her close friend Mother Amadeus and other nuns left to start a mission school for Native American girls near Cascade, MT, Fields soon followed, resuming her old job and becoming the nuns’ protector. When one of the mission’s hired hands crossed her, she fired bullets past his ears and sent him hightailing it across the plains. This and other colorful tales surrounded the legendary Fields. She also worked as a servant, nurse, restaurateur, and freight hauler. Fields held her postal job for eight years, becoming a fixture along the trail, driving two teams of horses, and smoking big cigars. She is remembered not only for her zestful life but also for her kindness and eagerness to help others.
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