Mary Fields had to be tough as nails to claim her spot in history.
to be tough as nails to claim her spot in history as the first African American woman to work as a mail carrier in the United States
That gun she always had with her wasn’t just for show. When it came to shooting, Fields “couldn’t miss a thing within 50 paces,” reported Tricia Martineau Wagner in the book African American Women of the Old West. With that skill also came quite a temper. She wasn’t easily intimidated and enjoyed getting a little turnt from time to time, which earned her a reputation as the “terror of the countryside,” and as a woman who had no problem throwing rocks at any man who verbally harassed her.
Fields perfected her route and fine-tuned it throughout her first and second four-year contracts. And when the weather made wagon travel impossible, she would sling the mail sack over her shoulder and walk 34 miles in snowshoes. This reliability made her an important source of information for those who couldn’t make the trek into town.
For eight years, Fields faithfully completed her route, even when she faced life-threatening circumstances. Once, during a blizzard, her wagon was stranded in the snow, so she paced all night, refusing to freeze to death. Not everyone was friendly with Fields. And those who dared to cross her, even when she was in her 70s, soon learned she didn’t need anyone to stand up for her. A 1959 issue of Ebony included a story about Fields by actor Gary Cooper, who recalled meeting Fields when he was nine and visiting family in Cascade. Cooper had been a native of Helena, Montana, before becoming a movie star, and had grown up well versed in tales about “Black Mary.
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