More on Hobos

[Rustyinfla]

I got my "Backwoodsman Magazine" yesterday in the mail and there was an article in it on Hobos. The article is called, "Hobos, Woodsmen and Minimalists by Necesity" by Charlie Fox. The tittle says a lot. It seems that Charlie's dad was a Hobo and Charlie himself did some traveling for a while not too many years ago.
  He says they usually wore long greatcoats to keep warm with and would often sew pockets inside them to carry their belongings rather than carry a pack and attract too much attention. The coat would also double as a blanket.
  Charlie's dad wrote a book published by Iowa University Press. "Tales of an American Hobo" by Charles Elmer Fox. They say it was carried in Walden Bookstores in the past.
  Charlie also says that when he went on the road his dad got him a membership in a group called the "Knights of the Road and the Seven Seas." He doesn't say much about this group but does show a copy of his membership card.
  For more information about the magazine try calling 505-829-4255.

                   Rusty <><

[powderman]

As a child growing up in central ILL I remember one hobo well. He was pretty old and would stop by every couple of months. The RR tracks were about 100 yds from the house. Mom would fry him some ham and eggs or whatever she had handy. He always insisted on earning his meal, so she'd let him pull a few weeds from her flowers. She'd give him extra stuff to take along. He always sat on the well platform by the back door,never entered the house. This went on for several years, finally he disappeared, guess he died. POWDERMAN.    

[alpini]

That's pretty cool. My ex's grandpa rode the rails for two years back in the twenties looking for work. Quite a few hobos back then, interestingly enough, he finally got a job with the railroad and retired from them.

[williamlayton]

Back in the 40's my Grandmother would give help to those who came around to the back door of the house. I always wondered how they knew to come to our house til one day my grandmother showed me some chalk markings on the concrete steps in front of the house.
She said it was a sign that a friendly person lived there and would help a traveler.
Wish I could remember those signs. They had signs for a lot of things. Any of you boys remember seeing them?
Blessings

[Ron T.]

I never saw those "signs", but back in the days of the "hobo's", times were a LOT "different" than they are now.

Hobo's weren't "bums"... and almost all of 'em insisted on doing honest work for food and/or "comfort" (like sleeping all night in your barn).  I guess you might say they were "street people with honor".

They were mostly honest men who were "down" on their luck... and most of 'em didn't commit any crimes although a few of 'em MIGHT steal a chicken occasionally for their "hobo stew" if they were starving.

The Great Depression produced a lot of "hobo's"... a good many people (mostly men since few women worked outside the home in those days or left their parent's home until they were married) couldn't find work and there wasn't any form of "welfare" back then... so they set out to find work or at least to find a place where they could eek out a living until something better came along.

They traveled mostly "free" in the various railroad's freight cars which caused them a lot of grief since the railroads' management didn't want 'em there... and often hired men to beat and club the hobo's senseless & throw them off of the moving train.

"Life" was "tough" back then... and there is no way to determine how many otherwise harmless "hobo's", some of them young, homeless teenaged boys, died after being clubbed and throw off moving freight trains by these railroad bullies.

Unlike today's "street bums", most hobo's had a sense of honor about them... and even shared their food with other hobo's, made "hobo stew" and sat around a comforting fire at night and told tales with other hobo's in what was called "Hobo Jungles"... a place in the woods or fields along side the RR tracks where hobo's congregated under or inside some sort of shelter... away from the cold or the rain... like in an old shed or a cave.

But "life" was very difficult back then when there was no form of public assistance... no homeless shelters, no food stamps, no welfare and no free public health-care.  There was just the stark realities of life... and death from starvation or exposure.

It was when a "good job" paid $12 a week IF you could find a job... and the work-week was 50 or 60 hours long.  But those were better wages and shorter hours than the cowboys of the late 1800's had... they worked long days, 6 or 7 days a week for a dollar a day or $30 a month plus room & board which was considered "very good pay" and normal working conditions.

Thank goodness there were kind-hearted people who shared their food like Powderman's Mom and William Layton's Grandma's did... and some kind folks even allowed "hobo's" to stay overnight in their barns as long as they didn't steal anything... and most of 'em didn't.

Still think those were the "GOOD" old days?  I guess "good" is a relative term, eh?    :-)


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.