He has learned the futility of telic endeavor, and knows the delight of drifting along with the whimsicalities of Chance” The hobo never knows what is going to happen the next moment hence, he lives only in the present moment. In Hobo Land the face of life is proteanâan ever-changing phantasmagoria, where the impossible happens and the unexpected jumps out of the bushes at every turn of the road. “Perhaps the greatest charm of tramp-life is the absence of monotony. Wikimedia Commons The photo entitled ‘I have been hit by lanterns two or three times’ depicts Jack London getting kicked off a train in 1907. Library of Congress The photo entitled, ‘On the Rods’ depicts famed author Jack London as a stowaway in 1907. Wikimedia Commons A stowaway on the train helping a fellow rail hopper climb aboard a moving train in 1939. Whether for or against the accused, your voice counts!Ī hobo preparing a turtle to make his dinner in 1939. If present at a hobo court and you have testimony, give it.
This code was voted upon as a concrete set of laws to govern the Nation-wide Hobo Body it reads this way: The concept of these hotels spread across the country and by 1915, Davis opened a Hotel de Gink in New York City.Īn ethical code was created by Tourist Union #63 during its 1889 National Hobo Convention in St. Residents were expected to volunteer at the hotel for at least two days per week in exchange for lodging.
In 1913, Davis opened the first Hotel de Gink in Seattle, a self-sufficient shelter where the men would cook, barber, tailor, and provide basic medical care for each other. He believed in fostering self-sufficiency among the men. Jeff Davis, in the early 1900s, was known as the King of the Hobos. It was easy to get trapped between cars, and in bad weather, it was entirely possible to freeze to death. The travelers were poor, hungry, and faced hostility from train crews and railroad security staff known as âbulls.’ Hopping on and off moving trains was also very dangerous. The Great Depression also resulted in a large increase in hobos. By 1906 there were roughly half a million hobos in America (.6% of the population at the time) and by 1911 there were 700,000. Men also hopped trains heading west to look for work. It is believed that the early hobos came into existence as a result of the end of the Civil War with many veterans hopping freight trains home. The etymology of the term âhobo’ is unknown but it is believed that it could be derived from âhoe-boy’ meaning âfarmhand’ or from a greeting like “Ho, boy!” Other possibilities are that it comes from the railroad greeting “Ho, beau!” or that it is an abbreviation of âhomeword bound’ or âhomeless boy.’ Hobos, unlike âtramps’ or â bums,’ are traveling workers. The term originated in the United States around 1890. A hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagabond.