Mary Fields, aka Stagecoach Mary
As always, drawn freehand on my iPad Pro, using the Sketch Club app.
What a life! Mary Fields, known as Stagecoach Mary, was born into slavery in Tennessee circa 1832. After working for a convent for some time, she lost her job, apparently due to her bad temper. At the age of 60, the Postal Service awarded her the contract to be a Star Route Carrier, in which capacity, she drove a stagecoach to deliver the mail in Northern Montana. According to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, this made her the first African-American woman ever hired for this job. Six feet tall, carrying two guns, tough as nails, she carried the mail through all kinds of weather, protecting it from bandits. She drank, she smoked, sometimes wore men's clothing, and by all accounts was much beloved in her community of Cascade, Montana. Hollywood actor Gary Cooper recalled meeting her when he was 9 years old. For more on this fascinating women see:
What a life! Mary Fields, known as Stagecoach Mary, was born into slavery in Tennessee circa 1832. After working for a convent for some time, she lost her job, apparently due to her bad temper. At the age of 60, the Postal Service awarded her the contract to be a Star Route Carrier, in which capacity, she drove a stagecoach to deliver the mail in Northern Montana. According to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, this made her the first African-American woman ever hired for this job. Six feet tall, carrying two guns, tough as nails, she carried the mail through all kinds of weather, protecting it from bandits. She drank, she smoked, sometimes wore men's clothing, and by all accounts was much beloved in her community of Cascade, Montana. Hollywood actor Gary Cooper recalled meeting her when he was 9 years old. For more on this fascinating women see:
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