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Amazing Facts About Foundational Black Americans
1895 — Cascade, Montana
Tap the poster to enlarge · Canonical BHED artwork
Did you know a Black woman born into slavery became the first African American woman to carry U.S. mail on a Star Route—when she was already in her sixties?
Mary Fields was born enslaved in Tennessee in the early 1830s. Details of her birth and early childhood remain uncertain.
After emancipation, Fields built a life defined by work, independence, and movement. She worked for the Ursuline religious community in Toledo, Ohio, and later traveled west to St. Peter’s Mission near Cascade, Montana.
In 1895, while already in her early sixties, Fields obtained a U.S. Post Office Department Star Route contract.
She became the first African American woman—and the second woman known—to receive a Star Route contract.
For approximately eight years, Fields carried mail through the difficult terrain and severe weather of Montana.
Her determination made her a respected figure in Cascade and eventually one of the most recognizable Black pioneers of the American West.
Mary Fields was born enslaved in Tennessee in the early 1830s. After emancipation she worked for the Ursuline religious community in Toledo, Ohio, and later at St. Peter’s Mission near Cascade, Montana. In 1895, in her early sixties, she obtained a U.S. Post Office Department Star Route contract, becoming the first African American woman—and the second woman known—to carry U.S. mail on a Star Route. She carried mail for approximately eight years and became one of the most recognizable Black pioneers of the American West. She died in Cascade, Montana, in 1914.
Wait — There's More
Mary Fields is remembered in Cascade, Montana—where a park bears her name—and across the nation as a symbol of determination, independence, and the often-overlooked history of Black women in the American West.
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