What was the hobo code during the Great Depression?
From illegally jumping trains to stealing scraps from a farmers market, the hobo community needed to create a secret language to warn and welcome fellow hobos that were either new to town or just passing through. It was called the Hobo Code.
What did hobos do during the Great Depression?
During the Great Depression, millions of unemployed men became “hobos,” homeless vagrants who wandered in search of work. Once-proud men, the hobos rode the rails or hitchhiked their way across America, in search of jobs and a better life.
Does hobo code still exist?
The hobo code tradition continues in the present day, but are now digitally enhanced since hobos now have access to cell phones and computers.
What were hobo markings?
Hobo signs/symbols could warn fellow hobos about dangerous towns or people, mark places where they had gotten free food and shelter, identify locations where free medical care was available, provide directions to areas where work was accessible, and much more.
What is the hobo code of ethics?
Those who follow the hobo code: 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; Decide your own life, don’t let another person run or rule you.
What is the origin of the term hobo?
No one is certain where the word came from, although there are a couple of educated guesses. One possible origin is the English word hawbuck, which means “country bumpkin,” while another is the common working man’s greeting or call during the building of the railroads in the West, ho, boy! Definitions of hobo.
What is Rule #14 of the hobo code of ethics?
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.
Who invented hobo code?
The lore of hobo code seems to stem from Leon Ray Livingston, better known as “A-No. 1,” arguably the most famous hobo in the late 19th century.
What is hobo an acronym for?
Someone came up with the idea: ‘Honest Observer By Onset’ as a HOBO acronym.
What is the hobo ethical code?
What do the letters hobo stand for?
Home Office, Business Office. HOBO.
What is the Hobo Code and why is it important?
The Hobo Code helped travelers decipher what was in store for them at specific locations, the signs drawn in chalk or pencil on fences, walls, or doorways, while most of the population was completely unaware of the what the symbols meant (or indeed of their very existence).
Where did hobos stop for food during the Great Depression?
As a young boy during the Great Depression he recalled hobos stopping for food at his home in Mukwonago, WI. His “Ma” told him that there was a mark on the utility pole out front that signaled where they could get a free meal. After reading about the Hobo Code, I am convinced his recollection was correct!
Why were there so many hoboglyphs during the Great Depression?
There were a lot of symbols in use during the Great Depression because there were so many tramps and beggars looking for a day’s work, a hot meal, or a place to sleep. These hoboglyphs were usually only known to other hobos, signs that many “regular” folk would have had no clue about.
Does the Hobe code still exist?
It’s estimated that there were 250,000 teenage hobos zigzagging the rails in America from the late ’20s to early ’40s. From the FSA-OWI Collection at the Library of Congress Photo by Dorothea Lange Even though the Hobe Code may have diminished in 1941, we like to think the nomadic worker’s travel code still exists today.