Deliverance Mary Fields, First African American Woman Star Route Mail Carrier in the United States: A Montana History

by Miantae Metcalf McConnell

Overview

AWARD-WINNING CREATIVE NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE "10 TITLES TO PICK UP NOW" 2018

1885-1914. Mary Fields, a fifty-three-year-old second-generation slave, emancipated and residing in Toledo, receives news of her friend's impending death. Remedies packed in her satchel, Mary rushes to board the Northern Pacific.

Days later, she arrives in the Montana wilderness to find Mother Mary Amadeus lying on frozen earth in a broken-down cabin. Certain that the cloister of frostbit Ursuline nuns and their students, Indian girls rescued from nearby reservations, will not survive without assistance, Mary decides to stay.

She builds a hennery, makes repairs to living quarters, cares for the stock, and treks into the mountains to provide food. Brushes with death do not deter her. Mary drives a horse and wagon through perilous terrain and sub-zero blizzards to improve the lives of missionaries, homesteaders and Indians and, in the process, her own.

After weathering wolf attacks, wagon crashes and treacherous conspiracies by scoundrels, local politicians, and the state's first Catholic bishop, Mary Fields creates another daring plan. An avid patriot, she is determined to register for the vote. The price is high. Will she manifest her personal vision of independence?

MIANTAE METCALF MCCONNELL'S RESEARCH enabled USPS historians to verify Mary Fields as the first African American woman star route mail carrier in the U.S. A fact-based chronicle of Fields' life in Montana from 1885 until her death in 1914, the narrative examines women rights, bootleg politics, Montana's turn-of-the-century transition from territory to state and its scandalous woman suffrage election.

For those interested in United States and American west History, this book portrays the nation’s multiethnic struggle for human rights by presenting factual discoveries and personal life stories.

OPRAH MAGAZINE REVIEW

An indefatigable former slave who braved the Montana Rockies on a journey to rescue a dying friend is the real-life subject of this 19th-century frontier narrative. Adventure abounds in the little-known tale of the heroic middle-aged woman who became the 1st African American mail carrier in the United States.-Hamilton Cain, Reviewer

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

"Under McConnell's hand, the atmosphere, frontier challenges, and landscapes of Montana come to life. Mary Fields is a true historical figure, dramatized in novel format. Her story will delight readers who look for a blend of accurate historical facts, hard-hitting drama, and realistic scenes powered by a feisty protagonist whose values and concerns become part of the social changes sweeping the nation." -Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer

"Miantae Metcalf McConnell has fashioned a historical narrative marrying prose and poetry, fact with creative writing. With the discerning eye of a photographer, the deft hand of a historian, and the literary heart of a poet, the life of Mary Fields, legendary black woman of Montana, rises majestically off the page into living history...it is the one book you must read."-Michael Searles, Author and History Professor Emeritus, Augusta University

MONTANA LIBRARY ASSOC.

...I felt like I was right there with Mary Fields...beautifully written, I could hardly put it down. Being a native Montanan who grew up in central Montana I knew the area. A definite read for everyone!—Debbi Kramer, Executive Director

Miantae Metcalf McConnell provides us with a great story and history of Mary Fields, an important black westerner. A must-read for youths and adults. -Bruce A. Glasrud, History, Professor Emeritus, California State University

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997877007
Publisher:	Huzzah Publishing
Publication date:	09/20/2016
Pages:	532
Sales rank:	240,791
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.19(d)

About the Author

Miantae Metcalf McConnell, award-winning author and descendant of Montana homesteaders, lives near the Rocky Mountains in Big Sky Country.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

Winter 1893 - Summer 1894

HOME

CHAPTER TWO

Saint Peter’s Mission, Montana 1893 - 1894

INTROSPECTION

CHAPTER THREE

Spring 1894

NAMES

CHAPTER FOUR

May Day 1894

RENEWAL

CHAPTER FIVE

Summer 1894

LOVE AND BETRAYAL

CHAPTER SIX

Summer 1894

PURSUIT

CHAPTER SEVEN

Summer 1894

PERSEVERANCE

PART TWO

CHAPTER EIGHT

Fall 1894

TRANSFORMATION

CHAPTER NINE

Spring 1895

CRUELTY

CHAPTER TEN

Spring 1895

PLANS

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Spring & Summer 1895

EXODUS

CHAPTER TWELVE

Independence Day

REUNION

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Summer & Fall 1898

LOYALTIES

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

January 1903 - March 1903

LOVE

PART THREE

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Fall 1903

THE UNEXPECTED

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Fall 1908 - Summer 1909

MOVING FORWARD

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Spring 1910 - Fall 1910

RECOGNITION

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Fall 1910 - Sprint 1911

CRUELTIES

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Spring 1911

RESPITE

PART FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY

1911 Late Spring

PROGRESS

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Summer 1911 – Winter 1912

VICTORY

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Spring 1912

THREATS

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Spring 1912 - Fall 1912

NEW FRONTIERS

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Winter 1912 - Summer 1913

CAMPAIGNS

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Spring 1913 - Spring 1914

LOVE AND GRATITUDE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Spring - Fall 1914

ANTICIPATION

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

November & December 1914

HOME

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

AUTHOR’S NOTE

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editorial Reviews

O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE

An indefatigable former slave who braved the Montana Rockies on a journey to recue a dying frind is the real-life subject of the 19th-century frontier narrative. Advventure abounds in this little-know tale of the heroic middle-aged woman who became the first female African American mail carrier in the U.S.--Hamilton Cain

THE MIDWEST REVIEW

1885 to 1914. The protagonist is Mary Fields, an Afro-American frontier woman who demonstrates a rugged, feisty independence from the very first paragraph, when she snaps a shard of wood from the woodpile from the palm of her hand and keeps on working, viewing her injury as a mere annoyance in the greater scheme of things.

Mary often is labeled by her color in this rugged world...but she's succeeded in earning respect despite being a black frontier female; perhaps because Montana in the late 1800s is an unforgiving environment that challenges all races to survive. Racist attitudes and behavior are inevitably launched at Mary Fields. How can a woman born into slavery develop the determination to defy social norms? How does Mary become a formidable legendary figure during a time when Blacks and other minorities were murdered without consequence?

…Readers sensitive to prejudice should be warned that McConnell's story doesn't bow to modern convention, but strives for a realistic feel; so expressions and interactions that would be considered offensive and prejudicial today are precisely portrayed, pulling no punches for the sake of modern political correctness...This approach represents a breath of fresh air, as it captures the subtler nuances of daily interactions alongside the wider social changes sweeping a young nation.

Under McConnell's hand, the atmosphere, frontier challenges, and landscapes of Montana come to life. Mary Fields is a true historical figure, dramatized in novel format. Her story will delight readers who look for a blend of accurate historical facts, hard-hitting drama, and realistic scenes powered by a feisty protagonist whose values and concerns become part of the social changes sweeping the nation.—Diane Donovan

MONTANA ARTS COUNCIL

Miantae Metcalf McConnell’s historical narrative combines factual material with creative writing to tell the story of Fields’ colorful life spent in, and near, Cascade from 1885 -1914. —Judy Shafter

McConnell has fashioned a historical narrative marrying prose and poetry, fact with creative writing. With the discerning eye of a photographer, the deft hand of a historian, and the literary heart of a poet, the life of Mary Fields, legendary black woman of Montana, rises off the page into living history.—Michael Searles, Author, History Professor , Augusta University

...the depiction of the life of Mary Fields is gripping and fascinating, and when towards the end the story involves the women’s and children's rights causes to which she was committed, it becomes intensely relevant, enthralling. McConnell’s descriptions of hardships and challenges of life in Montana at the turn of the century, her fine touch with characterization, and her flowing prose are definitely enough to launch this story to the level of genuine literature. It is the type of book that I will return to from time to time despite its length simply for the joy and refreshment it offers.—Trudie Barreras, Vine Voice

A great story and history of Mary Fields, an important black westerner. A must read for youths and adults.—Bruce A. Glasrud, Author, History Professor, CA State University

A fascinating, hard-hitting saga. A FINALIST and highly recommended.—The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

From the Publisher