Episode #68: The Surprising Rebellion of Chicot County & the 1871 Zodiac Back

Portrait of James W. Mason, the first African American to serve in the Arkansas Senate. Courtesy of the Arkansas Senate.

5/21/2025: On today’s episode, Valerie shares the astonishing story of a rebellion that ensued after a senseless, racially motivated murder in Arkansas, an area that was reeling when its economy was turned upside down after the civil war. The retribution that followed, and the mob’s extended presence in the town afterward was seen as terrorizing or tense, depending on the news source. Next, Amy Jo covers our current day astrology, including the upcoming Gemini New Moon, as well as the astrology of 1871. We discuss OUR Neptune placements, the 1871 eclipses, Comet Encke losing its tail (Boo!), and a ‘Mysterious Meteor Theory’ for Michigan's Great Fires of 1871 in this week’s Zodiac Back.

Location of Chicot County within the U.S. state of Arkansas

Wealthy planters, like Chicot County’s Elisha Worthington, benefited from the work of the slaves they owned. Worthington, the largest slaveholder in Arkansas, owned 543 slaves and four plantations, including the Sunnyside Plantation. Photo courtesy of Annie Paden.

Map of Portions of Desha and Chicot Counties, Arkansas, and Washington and Bolivar Counties, Mississippi, Skipwith District NAID 26465539

Delta Plantations: Connecting Washington County, Mississippi, and Chicot County, Arkansas

Map of Chicot County

Article from the Arkansas Gazette on the Chicot County Race War of 1871. From the Arkansas Gazette, January 3, 1872

1871 Retrograde Chart

December 12, 1781 Total Solar Eclipse Chart

Biela's Comet was the subject of several panics over close approaches to Earth. An 1877 newspaper illustration from Chile, captioned "inevitable impact of the Earth with Comet Biela"

Comet Encke

Mysterious 'Meteor Theory’ For Michigan’s Great Fires of 1871

Sources/Photo Sources