New book features Montana’s Stagecoach Mary Fields

Bigfork’s Leslie Budewitz is back with her 18th published book. 

While she may be known for her Spice Shop Mysteries or Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, this time she has dipped her finger into Montana’s rich history and cooked up a collection of tales on one of its forgotten figures -- Stagecoach Mary Fields.

Mary Fields was born into slavery in Tennessee. She headed West in 1885 as part of the Ursuline Sisters’ Montana Mission and lived the rest of her life out in Central Montana near Cascade. She is believed to be the first Black woman with a U.S. Postal Star Route, hence her nickname.