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For other uses, see Hobo (disambiguation).
Hobos in Chicago, 1929
Hobos in Chicago, 1929

Hobo is a term that refers to a subculture of wandering homeless people,[1] particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains. For the term in biology see Subculture (biology. For the song by New Order see Sub-culture (song. Homelessness is the condition and social category of people who lack housing because they cannot afford or are otherwise unable to maintain regular safe and adequate shelter Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a Railroad freight car. The iconic image of a hobo is that of a downtrodden, shabbily-dressed and perhaps drunken male, one that was solidified in American culture during the Great Depression. The development of the culture of the United States of America — music, cinema, dance, architecture, literature, poetry Hobos are often depicted carrying a bindle and/or a sign asking for money/work/food. Bindle (from German das Bündel = bundle bale) is a term used to describe the bag sack or carrying device stereotypically

The hobo imagery has been employed by entertainers to create horribly failing characters in the past, two of them being Emmett Kelly's "Weary Willy" and Red Skelton's "Freddy the Freeloader". Emmett Leo Kelly ( December 9, 1898 &ndash March 28, 1979) a native of Sedan Kansas, was an American circus performer Richard Bernard “Red” Skelton ( July 18, 1913 &ndash September 17, 1997) was an American comedian who was best known as a top

Hobos differentiate themselves as travelers who are homeless and willing to do work, whereas a tramp travels but will not work and a bum does neither. In British English and traditional American English usage a tramp is a long term Homeless person who travels from place to place as an Itinerant

Contents

Etymology

The origin of the term is not confirmed, though there is a plethora of popular theories. Author Todd DePastino has suggested that it may come from the term hoe-boy meaning "farmhand", or a greeting such as Ho, boy!. [2] Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound". William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, (born 8 December 1951 is a best-selling American Author of humorous books on Travel, as well Made In America is a nonfiction book by Bill Bryson describing the history of the English language in the United States and the evolution of For the HTML tag see HTML element. An abbreviation (from Latin brevis "short" Others have said that the term comes from the Manhattan intersection of Houston and Bowery, where itinerant people once used to congregate. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Houston Street redirects here For the Major League Baseball player with a similar name see Huston Street. Bowery (ˈbaʊɚi or /ˈbaʊri/ is the name of a street and a small neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan.

Still another theory of the term's origins is that it derives from the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, which was a terminus for many railroad lines in the 19th century. Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The word "hobo" may also be a shortening of the phrase which best describes the early hobo's method of transportation, which was "hopping boxcars", or of the phrase "homeless body" or "homeless bohemian". A boxcar (the American term the British call this kind of car a " goods van " while in Australia they are usually referred to as " Bohemians are the people of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, inhabitants of the former Kingdom of Bohemia located in the modern day Czech Republic Additional claims about the word's origin include derivations from the Japanese word houbou 方々, meaning, in reference to travel, "various places", and from the Spanish word jobo, meaning, in the Cuban phrase correr jobos, "truancy". Some Hobos claim it stands for Helping Our Brothers Out.

History

It is unclear exactly when hobos appeared on the American railroading scene. With the end of the American Civil War in the mid 19th Century, many soldiers looking to return home took to hopping freight trains. Others looking for work on the American frontier followed railroads westward aboard freight trains in the late 19th Century.

In 1906, Prof. Edmund Kelly, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in America at 500,000 (about . 6% of the U. S. population). The article citing this figure, What Tramps Cost Nation, was published by New York Telegraph in 1911 and estimated the number had surged to 700,000. [3] In the article, the words hobo and tramp are used interchangeably.

The population of hobos increased greatly during the Great Depression era of the 1930s. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to travel for free via freight trains and try their luck elsewhere.

Nowadays there are very few railroad-riding hobos left. Some itinerant individuals today travel by car rather than rail, but still identify themselves as hobos.

Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed bulls, who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers. Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. One can easily fall under the wheels, get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed.

National Hobo Convention

The National Hobo Convention is held in Britt, Iowa each year in early to mid August. The National Hobo Convention is held on the second weekend of every August in the town of Britt, Iowa, organized by the local Chamber of Commerce Britt is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, US and is the home of the National Hobo Convention. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Hobos come to town and stay in the "Hobo Jungle" telling stories around campfires at night. A hobo king and queen are named each year and get to ride on special floats in the Hobo Day parade. Following the parade, mulligan stew is served to hundreds of people in the city park as live entertainment, a carnival, and a flea market give everyone something to do. Mulligan stew is a kind of dish said to have been prepared by Hobos in camps in the early 1900s

In the year 1900 the town fathers of Britt invited Tourist Union #63 to bring their annual convention to Britt (it was previously held on Market Street in Chicago). They did, it has remained in Britt since.

Hobo lingo in use up to the 1940s

Many hobo terms have become part of common language, such as "Big House", "glad rags", "main drag", and others.

Hobo code

Hobo code at a Canal Street Ferry entrance in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Hobo code at a Canal Street Ferry entrance in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Canal Street Ferry, also known as the Algiers Ferry, is a Ferry across the Mississippi River in the U New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America

To cope with the difficulty of hobo life, hobos developed a system of symbols, or a code. Hobos would write this code with chalk or coal to provide directions, information, and warnings to other hobos. Some signs included "turn right here", "beware of hostile railroad police", "dangerous dog", "food available here", and so on. For instance:

Naturally, hobo code would vary from place to place around the country.

Another version of the Hobo Code exists as a display in the Steamtown Railroad Museum at Scranton, Pennsylvania, operated by the National Park service.

Hobo code of ethics

An ethical code was created by Tourist Union #63 during its 1889 National Hobo Convention in St. Louis Missouri. This code was voted upon as a concrete set of laws to govern the Nation-wide Hobo Body, it reads this way;

  1. Decide your own life, don't let another person run or rule you.
  2. When in town, always respect the local law and officials, and try to be a gentleman at all times.
  3. Don't take advantage of someone who is in a vulnerable situation, locals or other hobos.
  4. Always try to find work, even if temporary, and always seek out jobs nobody wants. By doing so you not only help a business along, but insure employment should you return to that town again.
  5. When no employment is available, make your own work by using your added talents at crafts.
  6. Do not allow yourself to become a stupid drunk and set a bad example for locals treatment of other hobos.
  7. When jungling in town, respect handouts, do not wear them out, another hobo will be coming along who will need them as bad, if not worse than you.
  8. Always respect nature, do not leave garbage where you are jungling.
  9. If in a community jungle, always pitch in and help.
  10. Try to stay clean, and boil up wherever possible.
  11. When traveling, ride your train respectfully, take no personal chances, cause no problems with the operating crew or host railroad, act like an extra crew member.
  12. Do not cause problems in a train yard, another hobo will be coming along who will need passage through that yard.
  13. Do not allow other hobos to molest children, expose to authorities all molesters, they are the worst garbage to infest any society.
  14. Help all runaway children, and try to induce them to return home.
  15. Help your fellow hobos whenever and wherever needed, you may need their help someday.

Hobos

Notable hobos

Notable people who have hoboed

Fictional hobos

Hobos in media

Movies

Books

Television and radio

BBC Radio 4 recently broadcast a one-off programme about the Hobo Convention entitled "Hobo Heaven", and in 2006 broadcast a memorial to 5-time elected "King of the Hobos" Steamtrain Maury Graham, who passed away in November of 2006 - or as hobos call it "He Caught The Westbound".

Songs

See also

References

  1. ^ "hobo.". Don Van Vliet (born Donald Glen Vliet on January 15 1941, in Glendale California, U " Long Train Runnin' " (or " Long Train Running " is a song written by musician Tom Johnston and recorded by The Doobie Brothers. The Doobie Brothers are an American rock group. They have sold over 22 million albums in the United States from the 1970s to the present Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a Railroad freight car. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Hobo's Lullaby is a song written by Goebel Reeves and famously performed by various people including folk singer Woody Guthrie, his son Arlo Guthrie, Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy The Hackensaw Boys are an Americana band from Charlottesville Virginia inspired by punk, bluegrass, and Old-time music. The Hobo is a 1917 film featuring Oliver Hardy. Cast Billy West - The Hobo Oliver Hardy John Lee Hooker ( August 22, 1917 &ndash June 21, 2001) was an influential American Post-war Blues singer Gilbert Vandine 'Cisco' Houston ( August 18, 1918 – April 29, Jack Straw is a rock song written by Bob Weir and Robert Hunter in the Troubadour tradition Robert C Hunter (born June 23, 1941) is an American Lyricist, Singer songwriter, and Poet, best known for his association Bob Weir (born Robert Hall Weir, October 16 1947 is an American singer songwriter and guitarist most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead " Aqualung " is a song by English Progressive rock band Jethro Tull, the title track from their first U "Locomotive Breath" is a song by the English Progressive rock band Jethro Tull from their 1971 album Aqualung Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967-1968 Their music is marked by the distinctive vocal style and lead Flute work of front man Arthur Arkadius Kylander ( February 16, 1892 - 1968) was Finnish American folk musician singer song-writer Mandolinist and member " Big Rock Candy Mountain " is a Song about a Hobo 's idea of Paradise - a modern version of the Medieval concept of Cockaigne Harry McClintock ( 8 October 1882 - 24 April 1957) also known as " Haywire Mac," was an American Country music Streets of London may refer to Streets of London (song, 1969 written by Ralph McTell Ralph McTell (born Ralph May in Farnborough, England, 3 December, 1944) is an English singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been " King of the Road " is a 1965 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller. Roger Dean Miller ( January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American Singer, Songwriter and "Waltzing Matilda" is Australia 's most widely known country Folk song, and has been referred to as 'the unofficial national anthem of Australia' Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson (17 February 1864 – 5 February 1941 was a famous Australian Bush poet, journalist and author Hiski Salomaa, born Hiskias Möttö (born May 17, 1891 in Kangasniemi, Finland; died July 7, 1957 in New Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Thomas Alan Waits (born 7 December 1949) is an American Singer-songwriter, Composer, and Actor. The Freight Train Riders of America ( FTRA) is an American Gang of homeless men who move about in Railroad cars particularly Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a Railroad freight car. The hobo nickel is a sculptural Art form involving the creative modification of small-denomination Coins essentially resulting in miniature Bas reliefs John Kellogg Hodgman (born June 3, 1971) is an American author and humorist The National Hobo Convention is held on the second weekend of every August in the town of Britt, Iowa, organized by the local Chamber of Commerce Britt is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, US and is the home of the National Hobo Convention. The Industrial Workers of the World ( IWW or the Wobblies) is an international union currently headquartered in Cincinnati Ohio, USA Grindhouse is a 2007 Film co-written produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Grindhouse is a 2007 Film co-written produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Kirby is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States. Founded as an agricultural settlement along the Southern Pacific railroad the city The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company (2004). Retrieved on 2007-01-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.
  2. ^ Interview with Todd DePastino, author of Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America
  3. ^ New York Telegraph: What Tramps Cost Nation, page D2. The Washington Post, June 18, 1911
  1. Brady, Jonann (2005). Hobos Elect New King and Queen. ABC Good Morning America, Includes Todd “Adman” Waters last ride as reigning Hobo King plus hobo slide show with Adman’s photo’s taken on the road. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1020800&page=1
  2. Bannister, Matthew (2006). Maurice W Graham "Steam Train" Grand Patriarch of America’s Hobos who has died aged 89. Last Word. BBC Radio. Matthew Bannister talks to fellow King of the Hobos Todd Waters “Ad Man” and to Obituary Editor of the New York Times, Bill McDonald. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/lastword_28dec2006.shtml
  3. Davis, Jason (2007). “The Hobo”, 30 minute special On The Road feature. KSTP television. Covers Adman Waters taking his daughter out on her first freight ride. http://kstp.com/article/stories/S208805.shtml?cat=69
  4. Johnson, L. Anderson, H. S. (1983, July 12). Riding The Rails For The Homeless. The New York Times, sec B page 3, col 3. Story on Adman Waters The Penny Route.
  5. Hobo Museum, Hobo Foundation. 51 Main Ave. S. Britt, IA. (641) 843-9104

External links

Dictionary

hobo

-noun

  1. A homeless, usually penniless person, in some way associated with a life along the rails.
  2. A migratory laborer
  3. (pejorative) A tramp, vagabond; hence bum

-verb

  1. (intransitive) to be a hobo, tramp, bum etc.

-adjective

  1. In an informal style, as in a hobo jacket or purse; or hobo style parking (i.e., first come, first served); or hobo stew (made of whatever ingredients are available).
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