The Wild West 10: Women’s Work

The post office has a saying about mail delivery in all kinds of weather. Meet Mary, a mail carrier in the West whose story is nothing short of a Western novel. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
She looked quite impressive considering the world that she lived in.
In an eighteen sixty five photo of her, Pauline Cushman
looks like a lot of other women of her day,
wearing a military style outfit to show support for their
particular side of the Civil War. But while most were
unofficial copies, Pauline wore the real deal because she was

(00:26):
a Union spy. Her real name had been Harriet Wood,
but at seventeen she changed it when she moved to
New York City to pursue acting. There, she met her husband,
Charles Dickinson, in eighteen fifty three, and the couple had
two children together. Unfortunately, her husband died in eighteen sixty two,
and Pauline left her children with her in laws while

(00:48):
she continued her career. While performing a play at the
Woods Theater in April of eighteen sixty three, Confederate officers
paid her three hundred and fifty dollars to make a
toast to the Confederacy during themance. So Pauline approached a
Union officer named Colonel Orlando Hurley Moore and asked what
she should do. Surprisingly, he told her to accept the

(01:09):
offer and then report to his office the next day,
her toast brought the house down, but it also cost
Pauline her job. She reported to Moore's office, though, and
soon accepted a new position as a Union spy. In
the summer of eighteen sixty three, she left on an
assignment to Nashville, Tennessee. There, she pretended to search for
a missing brother in Confederate camps. Of course, the real

(01:33):
goal was to determine each camp's size, fortifications, and what
sort of supplies they had. Every visit required her to
recall the information by memory, since taking notes would get
her cut. At one camp, though, she came across fortification maps.
Realizing their importance, she tucked them into her boots. But
her frequent trips across Union lines had raised suspicions, and

(01:56):
Confederate officers stopped her. Naturally, they found the maps and
promptly arrested her. Soon afterward, they found her guilty of
spine and sentenced her to hang, but Pauline fell ill,
and as luck would have it, the Union soon captured Shelbyville,
forcing the Confederates to flee and leaving her behind. She
briefed her superiors before retiring from the spy business, and

(02:19):
many years later. After her death in eighteen ninety three,
she was given a full military burial in the Officer's
Circle in the San Francisco National Cemetery. It's a powerful
story of one woman doing work that sat far outside
the expected norm for her day. But Pauline's story, as
surprising as it might be, was not unique because the

(02:40):
West you see wasn't just a man's world. I'm Aaron
Mankee and welcome to the wild West. Remember the ladies.
Those were the words that Abigail Adams wrote to her

(03:02):
husband on March thirty first of seventeen seventy six. It
was before the Constitutional Convention. Unfortunately, John Adams ignored his
wife's request. Back then, women were often seen as subservient.
We've touched on this before. Women had little to know
rights when it came to owning property, making contracts, or
working in a male dominated job. Men controlled the household

(03:25):
and the money. Without support from fathers, husbands, or other
men in the family, earning a living was difficult to make.
Matters worse, women were not usually granted the same educational
opportunities as men. For perspective, only about two percent of
those aged eighteen to twenty four went on to college,
and just one third of those were women. By the

(03:48):
eighteen thirties and eighteen forties, though things began to change.
Equal rights, equal pay, custody, divorce, and property rights all
came under fire. In eighteen thirty seven, an activist name
Sarah Grimkey wrote, men and women were created equal. Whatever
is right for men to do is right for women.
Men push back, but they weren't the only ones. Ladies

(04:11):
with traditional roles believe that for them politics were improper.
As incredible as it sounds, some claimed that voting would
cause women to grow beards. Imagine their surprise when this
didn't happen in eighteen ninety six when Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho,
and Utah allowed them the right to vote. The popularity
of women's clubs fighting for equality continued to rise in

(04:34):
the US. Advocates push for child labor laws, unions for women,
and prohibition, and the number of women employed grew from
about two point six million to around seven point eight million.
Most found employment in the domestic servant sector, and sadly,
men continued to earn more from those same jobs. But
as more and more factories went up around the country,

(04:56):
the need came from more workers, including men, women, and children.
Just imagine the long hours, the unsafe conditions, and repetitive
tasks day in and out for barely enough to survive on.
Most factory workers were immigrants. The largest employers for women
and children were textile mills. Given the bleak conditions, though,
word of open land and opportunities in the West lured

(05:19):
more than just men. Opportunities to own land, to run businesses,
and a chance to gain their independence looked pretty good
to a lot of women, and when the men began
moving west, so did the ladies. During the late eighteen hundreds,
slightly over ten percent of homestead grants in North Dakota
and Wyoming were awarded to women who moved westward. By

(05:39):
the early eighteen hundreds, this number had almost doubled. But
opportunity did not mean an easy life. Working farms and
ranches was difficult in the Western Frontier. Supplies were hard
to come by, neighbors were sometimes a great distance away.
Add in droughts and locust plagues, all while raising a family,
and it's easy to see how depression set in for many.

(06:01):
Life in relatively uncharted territory came with other problems too.
A harsh life led to accidents, deaths, and bankruptcies. When
it came to women suffering from depression and anxiety, they
called it shackwacky. Still, considering their choices in cities back East,
freedom and opportunity made it worthwhile. Stories of success gave

(06:22):
them hope. Sure, most of the available jobs were in
shops or small hotels, but there were other ways to
earn a living. A woman called poker Alice earn her
fortune you guessed it, playing poker. Ellen Jack became a
successful prospector in areas where other men had failed, and
on the rodeo circuit, Bonnie McCarroll made a name for
herself as a star. Women were realizing that the possibilities

(06:46):
were endless. All it took was some imagination and a
whole lot of grit. Marketing is often a lie. Despite
narratives depicting a frontier full of promise to those willing
to work the land, there was a harsher reality. Opportunities

(07:07):
were scarce for women, especially for those of Chinese, Native
American and African descent. Impover's families in China found themselves
compelled to sell their daughters. These women arrived in San
Francisco and were quickly trapped in the dreary confines of
laundries and saloons in the unforgiving mining camps scattered across
California and the Rocky Mountains. They toiled away in filthy conditions,

(07:30):
and those destined for sex work were held in pens
before being sent to brothels. Native women also witnessed their
people ravaged by disease and saw their traditions systematically dismantled
in the name of forced assimilation. As the twentieth century dawned,
Indigenous women were trapped in poverty and cultural genocide. Yet
their determination and strength allowed tribes to survive, and life

(07:55):
out west wasn't much different for African Americans. Even though
California entered the year Union as a free state in
eighteen fifty, slaveholders still flocked there, assuming that the laws
prohibiting slavery could be conveniently ignored. Tragically, their assumptions often
proved correct. Slaveholders kept there enslave workers there uninformed. They

(08:15):
were kept isolated on the property so they'd have no
knowledge that they actually lived in a free state. But
the struggle for freedom was ongoing, and it took the
ravages of the Civil War for black men and women
to be emancipated. In the years following the war, many
freed individuals chose to make the West their home, believing
it held greater promise and opportunity. Mary Fields was determined

(08:38):
to live her life on her terms. Her journey began
in Hickman County, Tennessee. She was approximately thirty one years
old at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, and she
traveled north along the Mississippi River with her new found freedom,
earning a living as a servant and a laundress. Fate
led her to the banks of the Mississippi River, where
the steamboats beckoned with the promise of it adventure, and

(09:01):
it was her work as a chambermaid aboard one particularly
well known boat that allowed her to witness one of
the most famous races in the history of the Mississippi,
the famous robert E. Lee against the challenger the Natchez.
Both ships left New Orleans heading north towards Saint Louis.
Ever the adventurer Mary loved, telling how she helped the
Roberty Lee win the race. The crew tossed unnecessary items

(09:24):
overboard to lighten the load as the two steamships vied
for the lead, and they supplied the ship with fuel,
using everything from barrels of resin to wooden chairs, and,
if the legends are true, even sides of pork. How
much Mary Fields helped is unknown, but her enthusiasm for
life's thrilling escapades only grew stronger from there. But her

(09:46):
time aboard the Roberty Lee also led to a fresh opportunity.
It was there that she met a man named Judge
Edmund Dunn and took a position within his household Sadly,
a short time later, tragedy struck and Dunn's wife died
from pneumonia, so he sent his children to live with
his sister at the Ursuline Convent in Toledo, Ohio, along
with Mary Fields to look after them. And as it

(10:08):
so happened, Mary Amedeus Dunn wasn't just any nun. She
was the mother superior. When she showed Mary to hercorders,
she asked if she needed anything. To mother Amadeus's surprise,
Mary Fields responded yes, a good cigar and a drink.
Despite her unusual demeanor, Mary Fields and the sisters forged

(10:29):
a deep bun. She quickly became indispensable to the daily
operations of the school and the convent. She was a
master of trades, seamlessly transitioning from washing laundry and purchasing
supplies to managing the kitchen and nurturing the growth of
the garden. Mary Fields was a force to be reckoned with.
Whenever she spoke her mind, which I'm happy to say

(10:51):
was very often. Students were in awe of her fiery temper,
and no one dared to walk on the freshly cut
lawn after she had meticulously tended to it. And through
and all, Mother Amadeus remained Mary's closest friend, but the
chance to participate in missionary work out in Montana led
the Mother Superior to pack her things and set off,

(11:11):
partnering with Jesuit priests to establish a school there. Not
long after her departure, though, word arrived that Mother Amadeus
had become ill. Desperate to do something about it, Mary
Fields immediately set off to help. No amount of wild
frontier would stand between her and caring for a friend.

(11:35):
It's important to alter your assumptions. On the frontier. Medical
practices were rudimentary at best, leaving people at the mercy
of their limited knowledge and resources. In a world before
accessible doctors and advanced medical technologies, the responsibility for caring
for the ill fell upon the shoulders of women, wives, mothers, sisters, daughters,

(11:56):
and friends. In eighteen eighty five, when Mary fields A
arrived in Montana, the mission housed a sparse population of
maybe one hundred and fifty individuals. The mission, or what
it passed for, lacked a physical structure to shield its
inhabitants from the harsh elements, and it was there that
she found Mother Amadeus battling pneumonia. Mary became a devoted

(12:18):
caregiver and decided to help get the mission up and
running to her own standards. She cultivated a garden there
and hunted wild game to put enough food on the table,
And on top of all of that, she coordinated the
delivery of essential supplies to their isolated outpost while she
nursed her friend back to health. Mary hall building supplies
to the construction site. She proved adept at maneuvering horse

(12:41):
and wagon through Montana's rocky landscape, and for a while
all seemed well. But life in Montana wasn't like life
back in Ohio. Her bold personality and unconventional ways clashed
with the expectations of some of the residents, and rumblings
of discontent reached the bishop. While the sisters recognized and

(13:01):
appreciated Mary's invaluable contributions, the Bishop had reservations Mary's defiance
of traditional gender norms, like her preference to dress in
men's clothing, along with her determination to take physically demanding
tasks that were usually reserved for men. It just didn't
sit well with him. Rumors that she had participated in
a duel proved to be the final straw, and as

(13:24):
a result, the Bishop banned her. After that, Mary Fields
moved to Cascade, Montana, where Mother Amadeus assisted her in
trying to launch two different restaurants. Unfortunately, neither of them
took off. So, despite being on the cusp of her
twilight years, she took on a new job as a
mail carrier. Remember, in the vast expanse of the wild West,

(13:46):
the United States Postal Service was like a lifeline, bridging
the gaps between remote communities and the rest of the nation.
So Mother Amadeus bought Mary a wagon to help kickstart
her new career, and in doing so, she became only
the second woman to have a postal route, affectionately known
as stagecoach Mary, She began working with the post Office

(14:08):
as a star route carrier in eighteen ninety five. Her
duties were to deliver mail to sparsely populated areas that
didn't have regular routes. Western films might obsess over who
had the fastest gun, but Mary could apparently harness a
six horse team faster than anyone else around. Her job
was to meet the trains to collect the mail, and

(14:29):
then skillfully navigate the treacherous landscape and the inclement weather,
and she handled the job easily until one day when
her horses bolted, leaving her injured. But despite her wounds,
she persevered and fulfilled her delivery duties. When she was done,
she found herself back at the convent that she had
once been expelled from, according to the stories, when the

(14:49):
nuns extended an invitation for her to attend mass that day,
it resulted in the rare sight of Mary Field's wearing
a dress. She resumed mail delivery, confronting wild animals, thieves,
and the unforgiving elements. When the snow accumulated too deeply
for her horses or even her trusty mule named Moses.
Mary would simply put on snow shoes and carry the

(15:11):
heavy mail on her shoulders. But time catches up with
all of us. After eight years as a postal writer,
Mary Fields retired. She chose to stay in Cascade, though,
with the townsfolk who adored her, especially the children. And
although she metaphorically rode off into the sunset, she left
behind an amazing story, one of success and perseverance on

(15:35):
the American frontier. In the rustic town of Cascade, Montana.
Mary Field's life unfolded like the captivating pages of a
Western novel. Like the heroes of the Old West, she
knew no bounds and possessed an untamed spirit. But retirement

(15:56):
wasn't a decision that she had come to lightly. She
loved the work, but it was such a demanding and
dangerous job that it simply posed too significant a risk
for a seventy year old woman. But even then she
wasn't done. Honestly, restless spirits never are, are they. Mary
established a busy laundry business as well as a quaint eatery.
She even took up babysitting, and like the grandmotherly figure

(16:18):
that she was, she promptly spent all her wages buying
treats for the children, because, of course she did. The
mayor of Cascade recognized her unique character and declared that
Mary Fields was the only woman permitted to enjoy libations
in the local saloon. But while she appreciated the drink,
it was the company and the conversation that she actually
wanted more. You can almost see the motion picture version

(16:42):
of this chapter of her story come to life. A
dusty saloon with dark, dirty walls, maybe a piano playing
in the background, all while she talked to the men
about politics or the day's news, and all of them,
including Mary, would be smoking a cigar. Mary also kept
busy growing flowers in her garden, and when she wasn't gardening, working,

(17:03):
or babysitting, she went to the ball field to support
the town's baseball team, and whenever anyone hit a home run,
she gifted them with a bouquet. Life is short, and
good people die way too fast. Mary Fields passed away
on December fifth of nineteen fourteen. In the family she
left behind, the entire town of Cascade mourned the loss

(17:25):
of a friend and a hero, and in a nice
little poetic twist. Her grave overlooks the very same road
that she used to use during her time working on
the mail route. Maryfield's legend continues to flourish even long
after her death. She emerged as a powerful force when
women and people of color were denied all the rights

(17:45):
and opportunities afforded to others, and although much of her
story remains shrouded in speculation, her legacy transcends the boundaries
of time and place, serving as a beacon of inspiration
for those who face similar challenges. And it's a powerful
message too that even though there might be obstacles in
our way, each of us is called to roll up

(18:07):
our sleeves and knock them down. The wild West is
all too often depicted as a man's world. Cowboys, gold miners, sheriffs,
and even the outlaws, all of the men with little
room in the story for women to make a mark. Thankfully,

(18:28):
as today's journey has shown us, there were those who
managed to break through. And we're not done just yet.
Because the list is longer than you might believe. We've
saved one more tale of the women of the wild
West to share with you, and if you stick around
through this brief sponsor break. My teammate Ali Stead will
tell you all about it.

Speaker 2 (18:52):
Pearl Heart didn't subscribe to the societal expectations of the
late eighteen eighties. The idea that young ladies they were
groomed to be obedient, devout and married off to the
right suitors did not appeal to her. But like other
women of her time, what she wanted was irrelevant. From birth,
Pearl's future was predetermined. Her upbringing was marked by the

(19:15):
quite charm expected of young ladies. She received a well
rounded education in boarding schools and mastered the art of
needlework and committing Bible verses to heart. Her parents had
grand aspirations for their daughter. She would bear children, maintain
the household, attend church, and provide unwavering support for her
husband's endeavors. To them, that meant their beloved daughter would

(19:38):
have a safe and secure life. Sixteen year old Pearl
had other ideas, choosing to Elope with Frederick Hart, a
bartender instead. Her parents disapproved of his drinking and gambling
and reckless behavior, but Pearl envisioned a care free life.
What she got was an alcoholic husband who squandered their
savings and abused her and their two children. Their relationship

(20:02):
was marked by a cycle of separation and reconciliation, with
Pearl seeking refuge with her mother, only to return to Frederick.
To protect their children from their father's wrath, she sent
them to live with her family permanently. Her life was
changed in eighteen ninety three when the couple went to
the Chicago World's Fair seeking employment. Frederick found work as

(20:22):
a sideshow barker, while Pearl undertook a host of odd jobs.
Between work and breaks, she attended the Wild West Exhibitions,
where one person captivated her. Annie Oakley, symbolized strength and independence.
Her passionate speeches that the Women's Pavilion, advocating for women's rights,
convinced Pearl to leave Frederick once and for all and

(20:44):
board a train heading to Chicago to live out her
own Wild West fantasy. There, she found a position as
a saloon singer and eagerly embraced her newfound independence. But
once again fantasy and reality collided. Heroes didn't walk the
streets and the town was hardly glamorous. It took two

(21:06):
years for Frederick to track down his wayward wife and
beg her to come back to him, and in eighteen
ninety five, Pearl agreed, but with one condition, he had
to find stable employment. To her surprise, he followed through
on his promise for a short time. Anyway, they soon
fell into financial ruin once more, and in eighteen ninety eight,

(21:28):
Frederick beat her unconscious, abandoning her to join Roosevelt's Rough
Riders in Cuba. A year later, in eighteen ninety nine,
she found companionship in Joe Boot, a miner. When a
letter arrived from her brother urgently requesting funds for their
ailing mother, Pearl turned to her new friend for advice,
and Joe was happy to oblige. Before long, the couple

(21:50):
hatched a plan to rob the stage coach that traveled
the route between Florence and Globe, Arizona. On May thirtieth,
eighteen ninety nine, the two bandits leaped in front of
the stagecoach. Brandishing their firearms, they commanded the driver to halt.
One by one, passengers turned over all their possessions, while
Pearl and Joe escaped with four hundred and fifty dollars

(22:11):
in cash and a revolver. Yet, the pair found themselves
lost in unfamiliar territory and settled under a tree to rest.
When the sun rose, the sheriff and his posse had
surrounded them and escorted them to jail. Pearl eagerly told
curious onlookers her story and signed autographs from behind bars,
and then on October twelfth, eighteen ninety nine, Pearl escaped,

(22:35):
and the legend of the Bandit Queen began to spread
far and wide, but the long arm of the law
soon caught up with her. During her trial in November
of eighteen ninety nine, Pearl protested her lack of voting rights, declaring,
I shall not consent to be tried under a law
in which my sex had no voice in making. It
should be noted that most of Pearl's story comes from

(22:58):
second hand gossip, no idea how much was true, but
her tale of a sick mother certainly tugged at the
jury's heart strings. The judge, on the other hand, remained unmoved.
Pearl's second trial ended with a five year sentence in
the Yuma Territory Prison. Once there, she quickly charmed the warden,
securing a more spacious cell for herself. Visitors and reporters

(23:21):
flocked to see the infamous Lady Bandit after eighteen months
of incarceration, Pearl was granted parole in nineteen o two.
She settled in Kansas City, where she continued her role.
Crowds gathered to watch her production company's re enactment of
her daring stagecoach robbery and exploits on the run. Pearl
eventually faded from the limelight. Some say she opened a

(23:43):
cigar store in Kansas City, while others claimed she married
a rancher in Arizona. Whichever way she decided to live
out her life, Pearl succeeded in changing the expectations society
had assigned her.

Speaker 1 (23:56):
Grimm and Mild Presents The Wild West was executive produced
me Aaron Mankey and hosted by Aaron Mankey and Alexandra Steed.
Writing for this season was provided by Michelle Mudo, with
research by Alexandra Steed, Sam Alberty, Cassandra de Alba, and
Harry Marx. Fact checking was performed by Jamie Vargas, with
sensitivity reading by Stacy Parshall Jensen. Production assistance was provided

(24:19):
by Josh Stain, Jesse Funk, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick.
To learn more about this and other shows from Grim
and Mild and iHeartRadio. Visit grimandmild dot com.