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STATE OF MAINE
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IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
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JOINT RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF
STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS
WHEREAS,
the hearts of bandits in the American Old West. Stagecoach Mary Fields carried a gun, smoked,
drank and had a wicked temper. Mary was the first African American woman to carry mail on
a Star Route for the United States Post Office Department; and
WHEREAS,
is unknown. Mary's birthplace and other details about her early childhood are also unknown.
What is known is that she worked for the Warner family in West Virginia in the years leading
up to the Civil War. Mary was emancipated in 1863 or shortly after the Civil War; she then
moved from West Virginia and went up the Mississippi River, where she worked on
steamboats; and
WHEREAS,
Convent of the Sacred Heart. There is debate over how and why Mary ended up working at
the convent, yet what is known is that Mary's gruff style was not something that fit into the
serene calm of the convent; and
WHEREAS,
managed the kitchen and grew and maintained the garden and grounds. Mary was known to
lose her temper and was quick to yell at anyone who stepped on the grass after she had cut it;
and
WHEREAS,
take care of an ill friend. Mother Amadeus Dunne, who had been Mother Superior in Toledo
before moving west, had fallen ill. Mary and Mother Amadeus were known friends. Some
records date their friendship all the way back to the Warren family in West Virginia, though
this claim is not substantiated; and
WHEREAS,
Saint Peter's Mission near Cascade, Montana, where she did many of the jobs she had done
before in Toledo. This mission was run by Ursuline nuns and was where Mother Amadeus
Dunne resided. Mary performed maintenance and repair work. She also gardened and did the
laundry. One major thing that Mary was also in charge of was the locating and delivery of
supplies needed for the mission. Yet Mary had no official contract with the mission and nuns;
thus, she was free to come and go as she pleased, taking additional work outside the mission;
and
WHEREAS,
to her crass behavior, unruly temper and penchant for drinking and smoking in saloons with
men. The final straw appears to involve an argument in which Mary and another mission
janitor, a man, got into a fight and were agitated to the point that both drew guns. While neither Page 2 - 132LR2447(01)
ever fired their gun, this incident was enough to make the bishop of the area demand that the
nuns relieve her of her duties; and
WHEREAS,
to open one or more eateries. They were said to have failed due to her giving nature of allowing
folks who could not pay to eat for free. Mary also reportedly set up a laundry shop and did
other odd jobs to make money. It is around this time that Mary's drinking, gun toting and
smoking become well known to the townspeople of Cascade; and
WHEREAS,
Post Office Department to be a Star Route Carrier. A Star Route Carrier was an independent
contractor who used a stagecoach to deliver the mail in the harsh weather of northern Montana.
Mary was the first African American woman and the second woman to receive a Star Route
contract from the United States Post Office Department. This contract was secured with the
help of the Ursuline nuns. The nuns wished to look out for Mary as they felt connected with
her. This was because they did not wish to see her go as the nuns heavily relied on Mary for
work done around the mission; and
WHEREAS,
Mary's job was not only to deliver the mail but to also protect the mail from bandits, thieves,
wolves and the weather as well. Mary gained her nickname "Stagecoach Mary" due to her use
of a stagecoach as a method of transportation to deliver the mail. Mary was also known for the
guns she carried. During the time that Mary was delivering the mail, she was known to carry
both a rifle and a revolver; and
WHEREAS,
time, Mary became beloved by the locals of Cascade, Montana for her fearlessness and
generosity, as well as for her kindness to children. Mary retired from being a Star Route Carrier
in the early 20th century. After her retirement, Mary settled into life in Cascade, Montana; and
WHEREAS,
eatery as well as babysat the local children. She remained famous, even becoming the mascot
for the town's baseball team. Mary was beloved by the people of Cascade, so much so that she
drank in saloons for free and ate for free at local restaurants and hotels; and
WHEREAS,
raised money to have her buried in a cemetery on a road she drove frequently that linked
Cascade to the mission. Mary's funeral was said to be one of the largest ever held in town;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Thirty-second Legislature
now assembled in the First Regular Session, pause in our deliberations to celebrate the life of
Stagecoach Mary Fields.