GREAT FALLS — The History Museum in Great Falls hosted their ‘Second Saturday’ event, with a special presentation on the life, legend, and legacy of Cascade’s own, Mary Fields.
Amateur historian and resident of Cascade Frank LaLiberty gave the presentation on Saturday. His research into the famed St. Peter’s Mission, 15 miles west of Cascade, has allowed him to familiarize himself with Fields.
Born into slavery in the early 1830s, Fields lived the first part of her life in bondage, until she was emancipated at the end of the Civil War.
From there, Fields worked on steamboats along the Mississippi, eventually working her way up to Toledo, Ohio, where she found work at the Ursuline Convent, managing the kitchens, and doing laundry.
In 1885, Mary relocated to the St. Peter’s Mission in Montana, where several nuns had relocated in order to help run the school for American Indian girls.
Though surrounded by keepers of the peace, Mary was hardly a saint. She enjoyed whiskey, cigars, and packing rifles, and had a vulgar temperament. She dressed in men’s clothing and undertook jobs traditionally reserved for men. The Bishop at St. Peter’s banned Fields from the mission after rumors began circulating that Fields had been involved in a duel in Cascade.
After giving up her life at the mission, Fields made history, becoming the first African-American woman to obtain a contract with the U.S. Postal Service as a star-route mail carrier via stagecoach.
For eight years, ‘Stagecoach Mary’ never missed a day of work, making the 34-mile round trip to deliver mail in any condition, enduring bandits, weather, rough terrain and predators. She was also the only woman in the entire town of Cascade to be allowed to drink in the bar.
Actor Gary Cooper, who was babysat by Fields, was quoted as saying that Mary was “the freest woman to ever draw breath and a .38.”
The History Museum will kick off the next ‘Second Saturday’ with walking tours of the historical Northside residential neighborhood and Railroad & Machinery Row. Signups are available now.
The History Museum is at 422 Second Street South. For more information, call 406-452-3462, or click here to visit the website.
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