Who doesn’t like Gary Cooper? He’s been in his fair share of westerns and I’m sure most of us have seen at least one of them at some time. But did you know, that when Gary Cooper was just a little tyke, he crossed paths with a larger-than-life figure? The year was 1900 when little Gary met Stagecoach Mary, a six-foot-plus powerhouse who could outdrink, outsmoke, outcuss, outfight, and outshoot any man around. As Gary put it, “She could take down any two fellas in the territory, and she had a knack for knocking back the hard stuff like nobody’s business.” Mary also went on to delivering mail. But before she got to that point, she had quite the life.
Mary was born into slavery in 1832. The Civil War eventually set her free, and she found herself working on the Robert E. Lee steamboat. She loved regaling folks with tales of her adventures, like the time the boat raced against the Natchez in 1870, with crew members tossing anything they could find into the boilers to keep them firing hot.
Later on, Mary landed a job with Judge Edmund Dunne, becoming a trusted figure in his household. When tragedy struck and the judge’s wife passed away, Mary was there to help, proving her mettle to the core.
Things took a wild turn when Mother Mary Amadeus Dunne, the judge’s sister, ventured to Montana to start a school. Mary followed, stepping up to nurse the ailing nun back to health and then sticking around to tackle whatever needed doing at St. Peter’s Mission. From hauling freight to fixing up buildings, Mary did it all, even if her language and rough edges rubbed some folks the wrong way.
Despite the occasional raised eyebrow, Mary endeared herself to many, earning nicknames like “White Crow” from Native Americans who couldn’t quite figure her out. And when trouble came knocking, Mary wasn’t one to back down, whether it was facing off against a skunk or settling a score with a disgruntled coworker in a gunfight.
Eventually, Mary’s path led her to become the first black woman to manage a mail route in the United States. Armed with her trusty rifle and a no-nonsense attitude, she tackled snowstorms, wolf packs, and even the occasional keg of spilled molasses with her trademark gusto.
After retiring from her postal gig at age 71, Mary settled into a quieter life in town, where she became a beloved figure among the locals. From free meals at the hotel to a new home built by the community after hers burned down, Mary’s impact was felt far and wide.
When she passed away in 1914, the whole town turned out to bid her farewell, a testament to the lasting legacy of a woman who blazed trails and captured hearts wherever she went.
Decades later, Gary Cooper, now a Hollywood icon, fondly remembered the indomitable spirit of Stagecoach Mary, celebrating her as a symbol of freedom and resilience in Ebony Magazine. As he put it, she wasn’t just another face in the crowd—she was a force of nature, as unstoppable as she was unforgettable.
I haven’t written any books about mail carriers in the old west. But I do have a lot of mail-order brides! I’m giving away one free mail-order bride e-book of mine to one lucky commenter! Just tell me a story about the mail, or mailmen or women. Funniest story I have is about the time our mother was supposed to be getting neighbor’s mail for them while they were on vacation. We also had to feed their goats and horses while they were gone. She set the mail on a stump and went to feed the horses, and one of the billy goats started eating the mail. Unfortunately, he ate the neighbor’s paycheck! Howard the neighbor, who worked for the forestry department, had quite the time explaining that one! Do you have a fun story? Share it in the comments!
USA Today bestselling author Kit Morgan is the author of over 180 books of historical and contemporary western romance! Her stories are fun, sweet stories full of love, laughter, and just a little bit of mayhem! Kit creates her stories in her little log cabin in the woods in the Pacific Northwest. An avid reader and knitter, when not writing, she can be found with either a book or a pair of knitting needles in her hands! Oh, and the occasional smidge of chocolate!
About 16 years ago, I attended our parochial school’s annual fund raising dinner. I was there with other members of the church choir. Wandering the hall, I spotted an acquaintance and went over to visit with her and her family. One of her sons was there with his wife and baby in arms. I was more than embarrassed when the new dad asked, “Don’t you recognize me?” I didn’t and was proving the premise from the old movie where the perpetrator is overlooked while he’s dressed as a mailman. Mike was our mailman and I hadn’t recognized him in civvies! That “baby” is now in high school and was in one of the classes in which I was subbing today.
Oh wow, Mary! But you know , it happens. I know people who have done the same thing.
My mail delivery has become better since I made a congressional complaint. I was having a hard time with missing packages, misdelivered mail, etc…
The things we have to do, Denise!
We have excellent mail carriers. I don’t have any complaints or stories this time.
Good to hear, Ami. Our packages are often showing up at the neighbors and vice-versa!
I was never a mail carrier but I was the first female electronic technician to keep the mail processing equipment going in a five state area.
Wow, Rhonda, that’s cool!
Our very rural mail carrier is wonderful – he actually runs 2 town routes everyday!
That’s cool Teresa! Hurray for great mail carriers!
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We lived in a rural part of the city where I grew up. I thought it was so kind of our mailman to honk the horn to let us know we got a letter from my brother when he was in Viet Nam,
Ahhhhh, that is nice!
We moved to a farm in CA when I was nine. Our mail man was very pleasant and happy. Mom made a friend of him and he loved us kids. We always waited for him early on in the morning. Some times he had a treat for our dog, sometimes he would bring something for us kids. A coloring book, a book etc. Just one for the group of five. Sometimes it would just be a piece of candy for each. But he always would stand and talk for a few minutes to us. One time, mom found out that his father had died. So she invited him to dinner that day. One time mom found out that he believed in Jesus and invited him to our church. So we got to see him every day of the week. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
What a great story, Lori!
Here’s information I’ve always found quite interesting. In 1913 it was legal to mail children. With stamps attached to their clothing, children rode trains to their destinations, accompanied by mail carriers. It cost one set of parents fifty-three cents to mail their daughter to her grandparents for a visit. As news stories and photos popped up around the country, it didn’t take long to get a law on the books making it illegal to send children through the mail.
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I’ve heard of this! What a wild thing to do. Yikes!
Hey Kit! No funnies today. I’m fresh out! However, I walked to my brother’s mailbox yesterday. We were talking about mail carriers over the years and how he didn’t even know who his was now. My brother is a quadriplegic. Has been since 1981. But, if Mrs Hazen saw him outside she always drove up his drive to hand him his mail and chat with him. One of her boys was my classmate. Those were the good ole days when you knew who your carriers were and they knew you!
Very true! Sigh. I have no idea who my mail carrier is, but the folks at my little town’s post office were always a hoot!
We still don’t have the best mail carriers here. They still deliver to wrong address and everything. MY neighbor bought a Christmas gift this past year and the mail person said she delivered it to a certain house but the women that lived there said she didn’t get it. They never did find the package. So he had to reorder it again and the company gave him his money back. He has a P.O. box and not a mail box like I have.
We’ve got a PO Box after the neighbors goat ate his paycheck!
Thank you for sharing Stagecoach Mary with us, Kit. She ssounds like an amazing woman. Love that spunk and sass!
I discovered there are movies made about her! Now I’ll have to watch one!
Thanks for the great post. Women are incredible! I have had good ones and bad ones but I do remember one where my husband was waiting for his letter to attend the state police academy. His friend had already gotten his and he was afraid he would not get one. the mailman came to the door with the letter rather than put in the box.
Ah, that was nice of him!
Loved the story.
Glad you like it, Linda!
Our former mailman had to be dyslexic as we would occasionally get the mail people down the road. Instead of getting mail for 2680, we would get mail for 2860.
Sigh, happens all the time with us! Our mail-carries are always sticking letters and packages in the wrong mail-box. We also have a PO box, and use it for the stuff you don’t want getting mixed up!
I live in Montana and have heard stories of Mary. People did wonderful things and the history is important.
Her story is so cool! I stumbled across it while researching something else.
No stories.
I was supposed to receive a UPS package, and it never came. When I investigated, I was told that they wouldn’t deliver to my house because I had a “scary tree.” Even the lady at UPS that I talked to was STUMPED by that one! LOL
LOL! Okay, now I’ve heard everything!
We currently have a wonderful lady mail carrier. During the holidays she wears reindeer ears and other eye catching headgear. She always has a smile and a cheerful comment. After our recent ice storm she showed my husband the brand of chains she wears on her shoes.
Chains on her shoes? They make such a thing?
This is from many years ago like in maybe 1925. My great great uncle retired from Chicago to a little farm in Wisconsin, it was about 150 miles from my dad’s childhood home. Our uncle liked to mail wild animals to the children, usually a squirrel or raccoon and they’d arrive in a box by train. Of course my grandpa would be irritated and after a couple of days he’d let them loose at a local park and tell my dad the animal must have run off.
LOL! A friend of my mother’s used to send my little sister baby alligators. Mom used to moan and groan at the post office when one came. Funny how she thought the cat might make friends with the critter.
I had not heard of Mary – – great story!
Rather than tell about awful service, I’ll tell this one. We had literally just moved into our new house on October 30. We were eating dinner and the doorbell rang. There were trick-or-treaters! Thought we were being tricked, so I said to return on Halloween. The next day, I met the mail carrier at our mailbox and he informed me that our town had declared trick-or-treating was for the prior night. Oops.
Years later, I briefly worked at the post office and the carrier remembered me!
When I was in high school, our mailman, Jerry, was the father of one of my classmates. He was a very friendly, happy-go-lucky man who could be caught singing as he walked along with the mail… & he always had a smile! My dad was also a very friendly, smiley person who was famous around family, friends, & coworkers for making yummy chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes he would time it just so that he had a nice, hot batch just out of the oven when Jerry came by with our mail. Jerry would come inside & enjoy some fresh cookies & a big glass of milk, then go off with a smile to finish his route. I learned later that Jerry was known for his sweet tooth. Perfect combination!! 😀