The Arrival of Stagecoach Mary
Grade 1
Mary Fields (1832 –1914), also known as “Stagecoach Mary” was the first Black woman to be employed as a star route mail carrier in the United States. Fields had the star route contract for the delivery of U.S. mail from Cascade, Montana, to Saint Peter’s Mission. A Star Route Carrier was an independent contractor who used a stagecoach to deliver the mail in the harsh weather of northern Montana. She drove the route from 1895 to 1899 and from 1899 to 1903.
Mary Fields had a reputation of being fearless while working as a mail carrier. Mary’s job was not only to deliver the mail but to also protect the mail from bandits and thieves. Mary gained her nickname “Stagecoach Mary” because she drove a stagecoach to deliver the mail.
Duration: 1:30
Grade 1
Mary Fields (1832 –1914), also known as “Stagecoach Mary” was the first Black woman to be employed as a star route mail carrier in the United States. Fields had the star route contract for the delivery of U.S. mail from Cascade, Montana, to Saint Peter’s Mission. A Star Route Carrier was an independent contractor who used a stagecoach to deliver the mail in the harsh weather of northern Montana. She drove the route from 1895 to 1899 and from 1899 to 1903.
Mary Fields had a reputation of being fearless while working as a mail carrier. Mary’s job was not only to deliver the mail but to also protect the mail from bandits and thieves. Mary gained her nickname “Stagecoach Mary” because she drove a stagecoach to deliver the mail.
Duration: 1:30
Grade 1
Mary Fields (1832 –1914), also known as “Stagecoach Mary” was the first Black woman to be employed as a star route mail carrier in the United States. Fields had the star route contract for the delivery of U.S. mail from Cascade, Montana, to Saint Peter’s Mission. A Star Route Carrier was an independent contractor who used a stagecoach to deliver the mail in the harsh weather of northern Montana. She drove the route from 1895 to 1899 and from 1899 to 1903.
Mary Fields had a reputation of being fearless while working as a mail carrier. Mary’s job was not only to deliver the mail but to also protect the mail from bandits and thieves. Mary gained her nickname “Stagecoach Mary” because she drove a stagecoach to deliver the mail.
Duration: 1:30