The Story of Gary Cooper and Stage Coach Mary
Gary Cooper the Movie Star of the 1930βs 40βs and 50βs wrote an article for Ebony Magazine in 1959 shortly before his death. In it he detailed one of his inspirations of Western Heroism. That inspiration was a Black Woman who ran the Stagecoach Line and delivered the US Mail to the remote farmhouse where he grew up in Montana. He wrote of her kindness and his admiration for her. Gary Cooper wanted to make sure that she would be remembered. Her name was βStagecoachβ Mary Fields. Here are her words and here is her story. Stagecoach Mary Fields in her own words.
"I am Mary Fields. People call me "Black Mary." People call me "Stagecoach Mary." I was born in Cascade, Tennessee. I am six feet tall. I weigh over two hundred pounds. A woman of the 19th Century, I do bold and exciting things. I wear pants. I smoke a big black cigar. I drink whiskey. I carry a pistol. I love adventure. I travel the country, driving a stagecoach, delivering the mail to distant towns.
Strong, I fight through rainstorms. Tough, I fight through snowstorms. I risk hurricanes and tornadoes. I am independent. No body tells me what to do. No body tells me where to go. When I'm not delivering mail, I like to build buildings. I like to smoke and drink in bars with the men. I like to be rough. I like to be rowdy. I also like to be loving. I like to be caring. I like to baby sit. I like to plant flowers and tend my garden. I like to give away corsages and bouquets. I like being me, Mary Fields."
"Born a slave, somewhere in Tennessee, Mary lived to be one of the freeest souls to ever draw breath or a .38"
Read up more about Mary Fields, including how the locals papers once declared that she had broken more noses than anyone in Central Montana.
*Excerpts from Urban Intellectuals on Facebook
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