149: More Voices from the Road- Echoes on the Mississippi River: Riot Aboard the Steamboat Dubuque
On this episode of Common Mystics * , Jen and Jill travel back to the summer of 1869, where the mighty Mississippi River carried more than lumber and passengers; it carried tension, resentment, and a tragedy that would leave six men dead. What began as a routine journey aboard the steamboat Dubuque quickly unraveled into one of the most chilling and overlooked racial violence events in Midwestern history. A confrontation between a black deckhand and a white raftsman ignited something much larger—something rooted in the uneasy aftermath of the Civil War, economic fear, and deep racial division. Chaos took hold. Men were hunted. Lives were lost in acts described at the time as “unprovoked” and “wanton.” But this story isn’t just about what happened. It’s about why it happened— and what it reveals about a country struggling to redefine itself. If you love uncovering hidden history and discovering the powerful stories woven into the places we explore, please consider supporting Common Mystics on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/commonmystics . Your support helps us keep traveling, researching, and giving voice to the forgotten stories that still linger in the shadows. *This episode contains discussion of racial violence. Listener discretion is advised.