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DELIVERANCE MARY FIELDS
First African American Woman Star Route Mail Carrier
in the United States: A Montana History
Slide Gallery & Description of Mary Fields Life Events
featured in
O, The Oprah Magazine Praise for DeliveranceO, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE 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 this little-known tale of the heroic middle-aged woman who became the first female African American mail carrier in the U.S.— Hamilton Cain MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW “Under McConnell's hand, frontier challenges and landscapes come to life… historical facts, hard-hitting drama and realistic scenes powered by a feisty protagonist whose values and concerns are part of the social changes sweeping the nation.--Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer MONTANA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION I loved the historical biography, Deliverance Mary Fields! I felt like I was right there with Mary Fields. It was beautifully written and I could hardly put it down. Being a native Montanan who grew up in central Montana I know the area where the story took place... Well done! A definite read for everyone! --Debbi Kramer, Executive Director 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, Professor of History, Augusta WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS A fascinating, hard-hitting saga. A FINALIST and highly recommended. --Edward Thayer, Founder |
Creative NonfictionMontana pioneer fights for her rights and wins!
True life story of an American hero1885-1914 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 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? 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. choose your online store for purchase |
For more information about Mary Fields and Deliverance Mary Fields, go to www.miantaemetcalfmcconnell.com
Mary Fields agreed to be the mascot of the Cascade Cubs baseball team
Cascade, Montana
Huzzah Publishing, Post Office Box 684, Columbia Falls, Montana 59912 [email protected]