Two Women Who Proved the Wild West Wasn't Just a Man's World
Stagecoach Mary and Calamity Jane didn't play by society's rules.
Women today wear jeans without giving it a second thought. But imagine being a woman in the 1800s and deciding that men's clothes were more practical, smoking a cigar, carrying a firearm, and telling people exactly what you thought.
Stagecoach Mary and Calamity Jane did just that. And they became legends.
Mary Fields, better known as Stagecoach Mary, was born enslaved and eventually made her way west to Montana. In her sixties, she took on a job carrying mail along a rugged 34-mile route between Cascade and St. Peter's Mission. Snow? No problem. When her wagon couldn't get through, Mary reportedly continued on foot. She became known for her toughness, independence, and kindness to local children.
Then there was Calamity Jane, born Martha Jane Canary. She worked a string of frontier jobs, including cooking and laundry, traveled through the rough mining towns of the West, and became associated with Deadwood and Wild West showman Buffalo Bill Cody. She also became famous for her colorful stories about her own adventures including claims that she worked as a scout and even helped nurse victims during a smallpox epidemic. The tricky part? Calamity had a talent for storytelling, and not every tale can be proven. Separating Martha Canary from the legend of Calamity Jane is part of what makes her story so fascinating.
Mary and Calamity couldn't have been more different, but they had something important in common. They worked hard. They survived tough circumstances. They made their own choices. And they proved that women could carve out a place for themselves in the Wild West.
I love writing about strong women in my romance books. Maybe that's why women like Mary and Calamity Jane fascinate me. They remind us that a heroine doesn't have to wait for someone to rescue her. Sometimes, she's the one holding the reins.
Stagecoach Mary | Calamity Jane | |
Real name | Mary Fields | Martha Jane Canary |
Born | c. 1832, Tennessee | 1852, Missouri |
Known for | Mail carrier, ranch hand, laundress, gardener | Scout, frontier performer, entertainer |
Where she became famous | Montana | Deadwood, South Dakota |
Her reputation | Tough, independent, hardworking | Wild, adventurous, outspoken |
Career | Star Route mail carrier | Performer, entertainer, occasional scout |
Personality | Independent and no-nonsense | Larger-than-life and unpredictable |
Historical record | Some facts are well documented; many colorful stories grew later | Her life is heavily mixed with stories she told about herself and later legends |
Buried. Cascade, Montana, Deadwood, South Dakota December 5, 1914 August 1, 1903
Stagecoach Mary (Mary Fields)
National Park Service: Mary Fields
National Postal Museum: Stagecoach Mary Fields
Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Canary)
National Park Service: Calamity Jane
Encyclopedia Britannica: Calamity Jane
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