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As many farmers lost their property due to the Civil War, there was nothing left to do but go to surviving farms and seek work. The most important tool at the time was a hoe which they carried with them. So these drifters became know as hoe boys. When a farmer needed their fields hoed those were the people to employ. As they walked by country roads the farmers would call out " Hobo " a slang term for hoe boys when they needed them. The drifters also worked during Reconstruction to repair the railroads that were destroyed. So riding freights also meant they could seek a steadier job working as section crews on the tracks. So " hobos " riding the freight trains became common.
50 of 74 years a hobo. In my early days the old timers would still use the symbols now and then. In Portland OR in the Burnside area was a cafe where you could work for a meal of chili beans over rice. It has greatly changed, if it still exists at all now. It was started by some female hobos. It was said one was the famous "Boxcar Bertha" of which a Hollywood styled semi true movie was made. The place was called Sisters of the Road Cafe. It used the traditional symbol of a camp for females hobos only A circle with 3 Xs in it.
@DL_UK I saw a pic of the recent auroras (I can't recall if was one I took, or somebody else's) that looked like it had Hebrew script at the bottom. One(?) of the letters reminded me of that. I so wish I could read and speak Hebrew. After the rapture, maybe? ❤️✝️❤🙏🏼
Hmm, not much empathy in this thread. Without health care, I wonder how many of the "bums" were healthy. Probably few knew. It is unwise to show weakness if you are homeless.
My grandmother had a picnic table, and a sink in the backyard so you could wash up. She always had a giant pot of soup/stew going that was refilled from the garden and the leftovers from dinner each night. Anybody who was hungry was welcomed at grandmas backyard table. My dad said the hobos had her house marked in someway because they always stopped to eat. It was during the great depression and many people needed a hand.
My Father grew up on Rosedale, in Kansas City, next to Turkey Ck. and the railroad tracks. Said the side of their fence facing the tracks had symbols on it. They had a horse, a milk cow and a mess of chickens. During the Great Depression hobos would always be stopping in and my GrandMother would put them to work ( mostly splittin' firewood ) to one, see if they'd work (not a bum) and two, allow the man to retain his pride and dignity by working for a meal, not accepting a handout. Being from 🇮🇪 Ireland she knew how important pride was. After they'd worked for awhile she'd bring them out a bowl of soup as well as a sandwich, cut in half and wrapped in newspaper, so they could save half for the next day. Far as i know, they Never had even a chicken go missing. A different time . . .
I know exactly where you are talking about because I was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. I’m not old enough to remember the Depression but I’m familiar with the area.
I think you're the only one on YT doing hobo history. As a historian with a degree in American history all of this is interesting. To some it might represent minutia but to me, who likes to delve deep into the roots of American history, it's a pearl of information. Thanks for doing this.
I am in my eighty's. My dad rode the rails all over the West from 1918 until 1928. He had a million stories to tell. Interesting that he never referred to himself as a hobo. He always used the word 'bum'. He always used the phrases 'On the bum', "Go Bum again', or just plain old 'bumming' He worked many jobs along the so 'bums' do work.
This is the sort of life detail that is normally lost to history. More's the pity. Our own day-to day lives are enriched by such minutiae. Nobody under 60 is likely to remember home delivery of milk, bread, block ice or coal by horse-drawn buggies. Today's children will never know what it is to be sucking on a fist-sized chunk of ice from the back of the iceman's wagon on a hot summer day. Would any kid today know how to work a rotary telephone?
Well if James will allow me to do this , I'm the one he mentioned in the beginning and do daily or weekly videos. I ride , I walk and I thumb it and bout as traditional as tradition gets 😂
@@HoboRoadrunner When I was in my early 20s I hitchhiked across America 2 1/2 times, while working my way across the nation, including Alaska (worked on a fishing boat). The one thing I wasn't good at was riding the rails. Basically, I sucked at it. The thing that changed my mindset was how lonely it got on the road, not to mention exposure to the elements. Especially during tornado season where I walked into an Oklahoma town before three tornadoes blew up all around the town. Has a way of changing one's mind, that hmmm, maybe I should rethink this. Eventually I went back to school and got a degree in History, joined the Air Force, completed medical school and never looked back despite those nostalgic times.
During the depression my dear sweet grandma set a pie on the windowsill to cool. It disappeared. She got the train schedule and every time a train came to town she would bake extra pies and leave them on the sill to cool. I wonder what symbol was used for her? Thanks James, interesting stuff!
Dad owned a apple orchard up in Washington from the 60's till his death in 2022, learned the difference between Hobo's, Tramps & bums (you skipped over Winos). When I was 13 IIRC, we had a Hobo picking apples for us, real nice guy. I noticed some cravings on the outside of the pickers cabins, I asked Dad about it, he told me to ask the guy who did it (Hobo). So I did. Basically he was giving us a 5-star review. We got a Work For Food (we'd give our workers stuff out of the garden, some canned goods (chili, beans, etc) bread, small jar of PB, jam, eggs when they showed up, not uncommon they hadn't eaten in days. Then a Kind/Good Men. Work Available. Good Water. And Good/Safe Campsite. I even helped him pack up his roll when he left at the end of harvest. And this was around 1977, he was 73-74, but in good health, said it was his last trip that far north. Dad had a good idea what those marks were, but wanted me to learn from a real Hobo.
@@WayPointSurvival True on the Wino = Bum, but unfortunately they didn't have much of any say about it. Dad had a story about a Wino (early 60's before I was born), he needed pickers and only could find 3 Winos, after getting them a little dried out and they started working, he noticed one of them was a very intelligent man, even calling him the smartest person he'd ever met. Found out he had been a English Lit professor at a big College/University. His family were teetotalers, but he went to a faculty party, was given a cocktail, in no time drunk himself out of a job.
My dairy has tracks bordering property and been passed down 100 years. There is several symbols changed over the years I noticed. I remember as a kid coming out to the barn and it was common to find someone sleeping in the hay barn. Or filling their jug with milk . Some would want work others just needed out of the rain. Now days it less and less any want to work and just steal. All the people I remember growing up don't come around anymore. Sad but good memories.
I'm an old man and grew up near the tracks and had railroad workers in the family. As a boy I remember the bo's as we called them and the old railroad pensioners , they taught me many things that helped me survive to this day. Thank you so much for bringing back these memories. My Grandfather road the rails during the Depression.
My Irish immigrant Grandad came to the US at age 12 alone during the late 1800's. His trip over as a stowaway is a story in itself... However, he got a job as a break man, swinging a red kerosene lantern from the caboose, to let the engineer know everyone, or everything was off, and they could leave. His train went from NYC to Buffalo NY. Catching Hobos & bums was part of his job... He told stories about the difference between bums and hobos. I think coming from a poor Irish family, and going thru a lot to get to America, made him more sympathetic to their plight. He got to know a few guys, and would ensure they were fed, and safe for the 30+ hour train ride. He gave them his food, and allowed them to ride inside the caboose with him during winter. He was a kind man, and worked hard on a farm on his days off. My Grandma would pack extra for them. This video about the signs they used is REALLY interesting! {I wonder if there were signs left on Grandads caboose}!
There might be but .... often left on trees, bridges, fence posts etc things that were fixed local markers so as to assist the next traveler. Gypsy Moon was a Hobo whom I met after the song Gypsies, Tramps and Theives was released. She and Steam Train Murray came to see Reefer Charlie. All 3 of these Individuals had spent a couple of days in Britt Iowa evey year, they gifted Charlie a painting painted by a fellow Hobo who often sang so his speech impediment was not so obvious ( he also released country music). Born Charles Elmer Fox he published 2 Books ' Tales of an American Hobo' and 'Weeds and other Edibles'.
Thank you for sharing your story with us! It is often people who have suffered the most who care the most. They are often the most compassionate and empathetic regarding other people's needs and what they're going through. I wish I could read your grandfather's story of being a stowaway! I encourage you to begin writing, typing, or recording some of your family history stories. My mom died in 2020 at the age of 94. She had a journal of some of her memories from before my sisters and I were born. She never completed it, but we're thankful to have what is there. So many times I've wished I could ask her this or that about our family. She was the keeper of our family history. Please consider leaving your family a compilation of your memories. It's a priceless gift. ❤🎁❤
@@GuantanamoBayBarbie3 Thank you! My grandma "wrote a book", but it was about her childhood, and our family on her side. My grandpa's side was not mentioned much. I've written down what I remember from him, and my Mom {who is 90, lives with me, and has memory issues} remembers a lot more. Her memories are more about life during the depression. She knows how her dad was a stowaway, and got caught, then, was made to work off his fare. But she's the youngest, and my Aunt who just passed away this January, told me a lot more as I was growing up. Eventually, I will get all these tapes, notes {and the lantern I've still got}, and sit down and get it all together in one place! You are correct. Folks who've had to work hard, many times not seeing much reward immediately, are the kinder people. We could sure use more kindness now!
My mother went to live with her gradmother during the great depresion. A man knocked and asked if he could do any work for a meal. He split some fire wood. He was given some sandwiches. Mum was then sent to give him sandwiches to take with him. He thanked my mum and said he had not eaten in 3 days, and he was trying to get money to send to his wife and children. Also my grandfather said in the great depresion there was plenty of food and goods, but no money. He also said another depression would come with money but nothing to buy. How true this was. During covid i recieved double unemployment but shelves at supermarkets were empty. No idea how my grandfather could predict this 90 years before it happened.
Sounds like your grandfather had experienced a period of time like that and he knew how history has a potential for repeating itself. If only we would glean the wisdom of our elders while we're still young and could put that wisdom to good use, we could very possibly avoid many hardships of this world.
He had the wisdom of experience. Humanity hasnt changed since the days of Noah, and Humanity drives all this. Understand what it means to be human and you have a lot of foresight.
My grandpa showed me a bunch of the signs he knew from his hobo days around 1910 to 1915. It was the highlight of my day to hear him and an old black man called "spitully" talk about the days gone by and the different way the black and white "jungle" was organized. Spitully said he still never trusted white folk, even kids as they could be the worst. I'd set on the riverbank while they fished for hours and listen. Thank you for jogging this old papaw's memory
God bless you, Sir. You should write the stories down, or record them. I'm sure one of your kids or grandkids could help. Those days are gone but not forgotten, not yet, thanks to people like you.
Thank you for your excellent video. My grandfather worked for UP, living directly next to the tracks. My mother used to tell stories about the Hobos that she dealt with. One sign they used, was an empty pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes which, always seemed to be on the pile of railroad ties. It signified to others that Grandma would give them a bowl of soup. In the Depression, that was a big deal. Thanks again for the video.
About twenty years ago I lived for a time in an older house in Tempe Arizona that was a block away from the railroad tracks. Shortly after moving in I noticed that discreetly penciled on the door frame of the front door were three circles in a row, each with an x inside. As it happened I was studying at the ASU campus nearby, and several weeks before had just read an article about hobo symbols as part of my graduate studies. It was both surprising and exciting to discover such a real world example of what had previously seemed a rather abstract topic. The markings of course meant that the previous resident of that house had been a kind person, a soft touch, someone good for a handout. Ever since then I have looked for such markings when I go someplace new.
Thanks, James, for the lesson on "hobo hieroglyphics." This series has been very educational, and the way you have explained the way of the hobo reminds me of the saying,"broke is a financial state, but poor is a mental state. " I appreciate all the videos you put out. Keep 'em coming 👍
The railroad tracks were behind the barn, a short walk through the woods. Men would approach the house, looking for work and grandma would assign chores. Mom said it wasn't uncommon to have two or three strangers join them for supper. After they ate, they would pile straw in one of the empty stalls. Next morning... they would be gone.
My Father was a telegrapher for the Southern Pacific, the tracks were about 12 adult steps from my bedroom window. You could always tell the difference between the Hobos, the tramps and the bums. The Hobos would always come to the front door and knock to ask if there were any chores to be done for a meal, fifty cents, or maybe even a dollar. The tramps would steal anything that wasn't nailed down and even pry out the nails if they could. The bums would just try begging, it didn't work with us. I fed a lot of Bos when I was a kid back in the 50's, most of them were pretty interesting people who just fell on hard times.
I was a teenage run away; bad home. So I became a homeless hobo for a while. Hated drugs and alcohol and stayed away from those that did them. Traveling, sleeping here or there and usually but not always found enough to eat out of the garbage or hunted small game, rabbit, squirrel turkey, quail and quail eggs, water out of the creeks for boiling in an aluminum pot I found. Quart size, metal and wood handle. Carried my spoon, knife, and fork. Had many ways of starting fire for cooking food, boiling water, and warmth. I would bury the red hot coals underneath the dirt. Heat would keep me warm most of the night. Ahhh, life. When you grow up in the 70’s with unloving, uncaring, selfish, hateful parents you run away and try to make things better for yourself and or others around you. And try and surround yourself with positive loving caring people. You make the best of things as you can. And someone told me once...forgive.....always forgive those that sin against you or hurt you. Love your neighbor as yourself and always love and obey God. I tried to remember that when at times I was hungry and found nothing to eat...do not steal...would come to mind. He wrote His law in my heart. The next day or so I would find food or whatever the need may have been. I learn to cope I learn to deal and work with what I had available at the time. So I know if and when things go bad again in my heart I’m prepared and I know exactly what to do to survive and thrive. If you need to get right with God, submit their forward to him resist the devil and the devil will flee from you. Read. Obey. Trust. And never forget to Love.
Simple life. Thanks for sharing. Many more will be made homeless in the coming years. Many more! So learn to live by biblical principles, and above all, make sure your soul is saved through faith in Jesus Christ's payment for your sins. Failure to live by biblical principles is why America is going downhill so fast.
I love your videos. My daddy rode the railroad when going around the country looking for work he was born in 1927. And he had a few good friends who he would travel with. They were great stories ❤
The story goes that during the depression, my grandmother on my mom’s side had a hobo do some chores in exchange for feeding him. Afterwards she caught him leaving hobo signs on the sidewalk, and chewed him out and ran him off. They lived close to the railroad yards and I Guess she didn’t want an endless stream of vagabonds coming to get fed.
Yes!! Another installment in the hobo series!!! Absolutely fascinating James! Thank you very much for sharing this! God bless and take care my friend!!
I had an uncle who rode the rails to the gold mines of Northern Ontario from the midwest. Crazy stories he had… One of the greatest movies depicting that time was Emperor of the North. Book read recommendation Ten Lost Years 1929-1939
I remember my Granddad telling me about them in the early 70's. He worked for Southern Pacific, out of Reno, as a brakeman and conductor, might have been an engineer as well. Was always fascinated by his stories. Great video!!!
My Grandad starting around 12yrs old would "jump a train" and ride it across the country. In 1942 he lied about his 15yr old self and joined the army.. but the train stories seemed to really get my attention..
My grandparents house backed up to the main train track in their small rural town. Up until WWII, they had a lot of hobos visiting them to do work for food. My grandma always had small jobs for them, cleaning downspouts, mowing their lawn, and she fed them really well. When a group of them would visit, she gave them a bigger job-move the outhouse, clean the gutters on the 2nd floor, prune the fruit trees. They would be given a proper farm dinner, and they always got any leftovers. However, when the ‘gypsies’ (sorry for the slur, I don’t know what else to call them) came, she licked up the house, drew the curtains, and locked my mom and uncle in a big wardrobe. Of course, my mom and uncle would sneak out, and my mom learned how to do tarot and read tea leaves from them. What a life, huh?
We lived in rural Fouke, Arkansas in the early’70’s and my dad and grandpa would take us kids out to see the gypsy camps when they came through. Messy bunch of folks. Always left a lot of garbage behind.
You mention the slamming boxcar door. My uncle was trapped for three days in a boxcar when this happened to him. He learned to put his pocket knife in the door track so it couldn't completely shut. Also to sleep on the top of the rail car he said he would put his belt through the walkway so as not to fall off. Once that was done he would pull his cap over his face to keep out the cinders from the engine. These techniques I am sure he was taught by older , more experienced Ho-Bos.
ive seen these type of symbols over here in the uk! usually in chalk (or sometimes marker!) on trees, walls and paths... more than likely not hobo markings but similar, only seen a few times in big cities and towns. (uk doesnt have hobo's as such to my knowledge!) usually they were near groups of working homeless folks (they have actual paid jobs but are homeless) usually nice folks too, very helpful 😊 the drunks and riff raff tend to avoid these places entirely. 😊 ive always liked this form of signalling... imagine the use in a shtf situation where a group of folks know the signs and meet together at a central point after travelling seperately (for security and safety reasons) the uses are so flexible. i know when i was in the cubs/scouts we had to learn what i'd call "ground signalling" where you would leave signs very similar to the hobo ones on the ground with whatever was nearby... wonder if they are linked? these vids are so interesting 😊 keep them coming 😁🎉🎉
When I was a child playing on the RR tracks, I used to see these symbols and wonder what they meant. It was kind of like seeing Indian sign language in a cave, with a little imagination. Thanks for the info. I helped out a homeless man a while back. He was telling me about the life, how many thieves lived in the homeless shelter. I helped him out and when I see stuff like this I hope he found a place to stay and thrive.
Boy, thieves in the homeless shelter. I've heard that before when I was in AA and there were the unfortunates who had to live in the local homeless shelter, and what they always had was only a backpack and if you left it unguarded for a moment, you'd come back to find it being rifled through, or worse, already pilfered. Sucks for people just doing their damnedest to get their life together and right.
@@kruksog According to this guy it was true. I gave him fast food, offered other things, he was concerned about what would happen to them. He was washing his clothes in a sink. I was thinking how blessed my family is. We were talking about getting some type of tiny home village started for homeless. I know it is being looked at, I hope it goes through.
@@kruksog I didn't mean it ugly, sorry if that was the way it came off. I try to do as the Lord commands us. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I was pushing for a homeless shelter type tiny home it's like a we got skin in the game. Teach a few basic skills, hopefully transplant we can move on from this bad situation. Try to give a hand up instead of out. All is good.
Thank you for posting this video- it brought back some good memories. My late Uncle Ray rode the rails regularly until he passed away in the late 1960s from tuberculosis.
After reading some O'Henry, I fell in love with Hobo lore. It would be great to get a film on Hobos, if there aren't any. You would be a great producer on such a project, Good job,
Love the Hobo series. Back in the 50s in the 1st grade I was asked what I wanted to be, Hobo. Life of freedom. Ended up doing 40+ years as a LEO. Ironic.
there was a story book.....a little boy's uncle came to visit (he was a hobo)...... maybe it was "encyclpedia Brown" ......anyway I am 70 and still remember it
I knew if I kept mentioning the symbols you'd do an episode on it! I knew most of these from an American autobiography of a hobo travelling salesman. He didn't like tramps or bums like most hobos. Soon as you drew the circle with the arrows I said get out now! The symbols change cause I've seen others that ment kind people live here aka work a few hours for food and a bed or sometimes just food given here which was a fork and spoon but those seem to be newer symbols, also crossed utensils ment no food here when cross used to mean good or yes and circle bad or no. Thanks as always for the video. Love hearing about these great people.
I actually used one of these symbols for an area that I have camped once. I go back from time to time and I can tell when someone has been there. Thanks for the video series. ✌️👍
My great grandma told me all about her childhood during the depression, we weren’t wealthy but we were hardworking farmers. Everybody worked everybody gardened and everybody canned, in thier area community stayed fed together through barter and shared labor, traits still passed down and valued in our family.
Apparently, my great grandma Roxie was always feeding hobos and giving them little jobs. My great grandpa Archie had to put his foot down. He would get home from work, and there would be some random guy there. They were poor too. They lived in an old barn they fixed up (before that, a tent). He had enough kids to feed. He found hobo markings he had to paint over or scratch out or something. They were awesome people. I wish I could have known them. Roxie had a sister that could roll a cigarette while driving a tractor. Old school Kansas people.
So we, much like every where else, have an indigent population. Recently I gave a young women a few things to help her on her journey. The next day drawn in chalk I noticed a cross on the cross beam of my porch. Warmed my heart
I had two Great Grandfathers do a little hoboing way back in the day. One Great Grandfather did a little hoboing until he had an accident. He was ran over by one of the steel wheels of a rail car. They where able to reattach his leg which was shorter afterwards. The other Great Grandfather was so taken by the town of El Reno Oklahoma he named my Grandmother after the town with a slight spelling difference, Elrena.
Thank you! I saw that movie as a kid and thought it was fascinating, but couldn't remember the name of it. Between that and Woody Guthrie I've always thought this part of history was worth learning about. The movie Bound for Glory (about Woody's life) is also a good flick.
I am glad to be of service. An interesting thing about Ernest Borgnine who plays the heavy in the movie is that he normally played a character that was a heavy or at the very least on the gruff side. However, I heard him being interviewed once on the radio. He was anything but gruff. It was all that so and so was a sweetie or a darling. It was all sweetness and light. If you are interested in other movies set in the era, I have some suggestion for great movies. They Shoot Horses Don't They and Places in the Heart are great dramas. Sand Pebbles is set in 1926 but has a similar feel to depression era movies and is also a great drama. The Sting is a bit of dark comedy as it has a bit of violence and death in it. The Ragtime musical scores are great. Harlem Nights is funny, but it does get a bit blue, so skip it if that is not to your taste. It has Redd Foxx in it. Enough said.
Thanks for reminding today's world that hoboes were men of integrity who courageously faced the challenges in their day while maintaining a good work ethic in their endeavors to provide for their families. "Man looks upon the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart." Generally speaking, I see the hobo as a person of Faith & Fortitude! I find it very interesting that, just as hobos had their communication symbols, when early Christianity was under persecution, believers often used the symbol of the FISH to identify themselves & their faith. Thank you, James, & may God bless you & yours.
Thank you for the serious side of Hobology 😊 I have been to Britt Iowa With my good friend Redbird Express several times Since Redbird caught the westbound this Year this note is to grapevine the info To Sunrise and Virginia Slim Penny Pincher and Flatcar Frank Redbird was a true King of the Dream and Road Regards fron Tinker Da Thinker and Bike Week Hobo and Spike 🚲🌴✌️👌
Circa 1950s, lived near Santa Fe rail yards in San Bernardino. Family often helped those in need, and symbols like those were in neighborhood. Never any trouble from those old hobos and their stories fascinated me. Thank you for documenting their history.
Appreciate the great video. It’s amazing how well the signs are able to communicate the important information about the location and environment for a transient working hobo.
My precious grandmother lived on Route 66 in NE Oklahoma for many decades. Hobos, those hard-times travelers on the nearby rails who were looking to work for a meal, marked her picket fence with the four straight lines and shovels. I recall seeing the old gate well, decades later. SHE WAS A GREAT COOK with a big garden and livestock, such a generous soul. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPASSION and THESE GREAT MEMORIES.
Oh my goodness I would have never made it. WOW no way anyone would let you do some work around your home these days. Thank you Brother James. I Love your teachings.😊❤
James if you haven't read it check out " dairy of a Welsh swagman" it's the dairy of a hobo from Wales who travelled to Australia way back in 1869. Wonderful book detailing all the hard time and the work the man William Evans did during his stay in Aus. Another wonderful video thank for posting.
That's my ex family , I was over ther a while from Australia, I been round at the house that man lived , an old lady give me a copy of the book but it was in welsh so I never read it lol . He was quite the character I believe.
Very interesting! I was a kid back in the 50’s and I remember frequently seeing hobos riding the rails throughout the Southern California area. Oftentimes they could be seen carrying a large sack of belongings slung over their backs as they walked along the railroad tracks…
I have taken this TH-cam channel seriously due to what's happening in Europe, Russia, and The Middle East. Please, everybody, take this show seriously too and learn as much as you can.
@@stargazer4683its the same thing and being educated on the actual results of nuclear war is important. Most well to do countries have guided systems that destroy nukes while still way up in the sky, this will basically render it to an EMP with some diverse affects. It's not going to be fallout 3
Stfu! 😂 nothing different is happening in Europe Russia and Middle East! Ypu mean war lolol. News flash smart guy all these countries been fighting wars since in time memoriam
I have a friend of mine who has the nickname Hobo, he was a nuclear grade welder who helped build Grand Gulf nuclear power plant. He's been a great mentor in torch/welding etiquette many years ago.
@@WayPointSurvival He has been a great friend and confidant! His wife Ms. Charlotte and him are still some of my best friends! They are both in their late 70's, but I'm so blessed to have them in my life!
Back in the 50’s there was a wooded area off Kirk avenue that was called Hobo jungle. You would find empty food cans and what was left of camp fires. This was in Baltimore Maryland 😮
My sisters said they were going to sell me to them if I was bad. That worked on me like the military school threat my dad used. We lived near rail road I remember seeing them.
In the 1990s I worked in a pizza parlor in Flushing, NY, and we had a regular hobo customer who was always neat, always gentlemanly. He wore a vest and suit jacket, carried a walking stick that happened to have a decent sized bindle at the end. The gentleman told me that his reason was just that he had the need to be moving on and he didn't enjoy being indoors. I totally respected that man. He flitted about Flushing for a week or so longer and would come in every day for a slice or just a coffee, and we had a restroom he could use. Then after that week or so he moved on. And I always wondered about him and how was he doing.
Cool video. I have looked up hobo signs for a project once and found them fascinating. For a while in the early days of wi-fi it was common for people to put a symbol in front of benches that were within reach of a free signal. I always thought of that as a sort of modern-day hobo sign.
My great grandfather had a house by the tracks and operated the track switch. My great grandmother would save tin cans and make soup and when tthe train would stop, she would pass them out and ask them to throw them beside the tracks when they were done. She would pick them up and get more going.
Very interesting - quite similar to the 'gypsy'-signs used here in Europe. The meaning of a cross is the same, but a circle most of the time ment money and a fence getting arrested. They were common until the 1970s and I used them to keep them off my door. Thanks for sharing.
I subscribed today. This is the 2nd one of your videos I've seen. Thanks for these. My Dad regarded butter as a wonderful luxury item his whole life, from only having lard in the depresson. Those times made strong people. Loved the Hobo Carry Kit video. I'm going to put those 4 horizontal lines on my gate. Got some stuff needs more muscles than I've got. 😊
Very interesting! My gramma used to feed the hobos who came through their small town. They hardly had anything themselves, as it was the great depression, but she was very tender-hearted.
is super cool the way simple signs and symbols can say so much if you know how to read them; and for those who played skyrim the thieves guild use signs called shadowmarks pretty much the same way
Hobo signs is a topic that has interested me for a long time. Here in Sweden we had our own culture of hobos and they also used hobo signs. The interesting thing is that many of the symbols in the USA and Sweden are the same.
My grandparents lived by the tracks and raised 7 kids during the Great Depression. My grandparents would feed them for menial jobs in the yard such as repair work to the shed/ chicken house when needed. They knew they were marked, but could not find any symbols close to the property. The hobos disappeared around 1940 when the economy got better. 4 generations of my family lived in that house. Me and my brother played around the tracks and never found anyone riding the trains like the hobos in the 1960s except a few hippies that got stupid and got injured or dead.
Armona ca. fruit packing plant. We traded canned food for old knives or books. Loved the summer. Learned to play guitar and harmonica at the old camp from mellow old fellows. Grandma would tell her friends that she would put 2 cans of beans on the front porch for me. It got rid of me for the rest of the day. Life was so much better back then. We always had plenty to do.
I'm 56, but as a little kid I always had a facination with the Hobo lifestyle. At 17 I left home and Hitchhiked all around the West. I honestly think I was a Hobo in a previous life? Thanks for sharing these.
Very informative indeed. I’ll have to research more of these symbols as I think with the way how things are going in the world it’ll be important down the line.
My mom told stories of my grandmother feeding the odd transient hobo here in Canada during the Great Depression. These folks were said to be polite and looking for work. They tended to get a sandwich and ate it on the back porch.
What an amazing video...please do more.i remember my momtelling me that my grandma would give some hobos meals every now and then,and in return they made certain that nothing bad would happen to them
There's an old family story from the depression era in my family from a town near Alexandria, MN. A hobo came to the farm once and got a meal for doing a few chores. Over the next several weeks more hobos came looking for chores for a meal (the meal was given, but the chores that needed to be done were less and less). Hobos did frequently walk on the tracks near their farm, but this hadn't really happened before so it became suspicious for my great grandfather. He eventually went down to the tracks and found some symbols in the gravel which included an X and an 8 (is what is remembered). He destroyed the symbols and never saw another hobo again. I think this is the first time that I am getting a clue as to what the symbol meanings precisely were.
Gracias por tomarte el tipo para hacer otro video de hobo ,acá en Argentina eran llamados cortos o linyeras,saludos desde La Pampa ,Argentina, Dios te bendiga
First time viewer here, I think of this YT video as quaint. This was a bygone era the towns and cities were smaller with a slower pace. I understand many people didn’t want to be a hobo but the post civil war era until after the depression was a tough time. The need for services to help people in a tough spot is still here. Many people today don’t realize how close they are to being to being in this position.
![Camp Like a Hobo! [ Unveiling the 1930s Railside Wilderness Adventure ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I26CBlTBeRk/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks so much for watching! Please leave me a thumbs up and a comment in the section below. Make sure and check out our website at www.waypointsurvival.com where you can sign up for classes and check out the required gear list!
I love the show you make
Try to get Discovery Channel on your side.
So you can make a show on tv .
Many years ago, decades, I read that "HoBo" was short for "Homeward Bound".
Any truth to that?
As many farmers lost their property due to the Civil War, there was nothing left to do but go to surviving farms and seek work. The most important tool at the time was a hoe which they carried with them. So these drifters became know as hoe boys. When a farmer needed their fields hoed those were the people to employ. As they walked by country roads the farmers would call out " Hobo " a slang term for hoe boys when they needed them. The drifters also worked during Reconstruction to repair the railroads that were destroyed. So riding freights also meant they could seek a steadier job working as section crews on the tracks. So " hobos " riding the freight trains became common.
50 of 74 years a hobo. In my early days the old timers would still use the symbols now and then. In Portland OR in the Burnside area was a cafe where you could work for a meal of chili beans over rice. It has greatly changed, if it still exists at all now. It was started by some female hobos. It was said one was the famous "Boxcar Bertha" of which a Hollywood styled semi true movie was made. The place was called Sisters of the Road Cafe. It used the traditional symbol of a camp for females hobos only A circle with 3 Xs in it.
@DL_UK I saw a pic of the recent auroras (I can't recall if was one I took, or somebody else's) that looked like it had Hebrew script at the bottom. One(?) of the letters reminded me of that. I so wish I could read and speak Hebrew. After the rapture, maybe?
❤️✝️❤🙏🏼
What I have always heard was:
A hobo moves around looking for work.
A tramp moves around avoiding work.
A bum neither moves nor works.
Yep...
Thats it exactly 👍
As utah Phillips said,
A hobo works, and wanders.
A tramp dreams, and wanders.
A bum drinks, and wanders.
The bulls called them all RR bums
@@AlecSwiftHikes which one are you 😅
Hmm, not much empathy in this thread. Without health care, I wonder how many of the "bums" were healthy. Probably few knew. It is unwise to show weakness if you are homeless.
My grandmother had a picnic table, and a sink in the backyard so you could wash up. She always had a giant pot of soup/stew going that was refilled from the garden and the leftovers from dinner each night. Anybody who was hungry was welcomed at grandmas backyard table. My dad said the hobos had her house marked in someway because they always stopped to eat. It was during the great depression and many people needed a hand.
who needs Fort Knox?: your grandparents are the real treasure of our nation❤❤❤❤😊😊😊
Bless your family for being so kind. I hope to do the same in the coming times.
They took the Great Commandment seriously! Especially the second part.
Your grandma was such an angel. What a blessing to have her for your grandma 🥰💕
My Great Grandmother was the same way. I was blessed with her soup pot.
My Father grew up on Rosedale, in Kansas City, next to Turkey Ck. and the railroad tracks. Said the side of their fence facing the tracks had symbols on it. They had a horse, a milk cow and a mess of chickens. During the Great Depression hobos would always be stopping in and my GrandMother would put them to work ( mostly splittin' firewood ) to one, see if they'd work (not a bum) and two, allow the man to retain his pride and dignity by working for a meal, not accepting a handout. Being from 🇮🇪 Ireland she knew how important pride was. After they'd worked for awhile she'd bring them out a bowl of soup as well as a sandwich, cut in half and wrapped in newspaper, so they could save half for the next day. Far as i know, they Never had even a chicken go missing. A different time . . .
Your grandmother is a wonderful person
Absolutely. People could be more trustworthy back then.
Incredible story!
I know exactly where you are talking about because I was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. I’m not old enough to remember the Depression but I’m familiar with the area.
@@EdwardPigg-ji4yy Same! (KCMO) Such a different era than today...
I think you're the only one on YT doing hobo history. As a historian with a degree in American history all of this is interesting. To some it might represent minutia but to me, who likes to delve deep into the roots of American history, it's a pearl of information. Thanks for doing this.
You're very welcome!
I am in my eighty's. My dad rode the rails all over the West from 1918 until 1928. He had a million stories to tell. Interesting that he never referred to himself as a
hobo. He always used the word 'bum'. He always used the phrases 'On the bum', "Go Bum again', or just plain old 'bumming' He worked many jobs along the so 'bums' do work.
This is the sort of life detail that is normally lost to history. More's the pity. Our own day-to day lives are enriched by such minutiae. Nobody under 60 is likely to remember home delivery of milk, bread, block ice or coal by horse-drawn buggies. Today's children will never know what it is to be sucking on a fist-sized chunk of ice from the back of the iceman's wagon on a hot summer day. Would any kid today know how to work a rotary telephone?
Well if James will allow me to do this , I'm the one he mentioned in the beginning and do daily or weekly videos. I ride , I walk and I thumb it and bout as traditional as tradition gets 😂
@@HoboRoadrunner When I was in my early 20s I hitchhiked across America 2 1/2 times, while working my way across the nation, including Alaska (worked on a fishing boat). The one thing I wasn't good at was riding the rails. Basically, I sucked at it. The thing that changed my mindset was how lonely it got on the road, not to mention exposure to the elements. Especially during tornado season where I walked into an Oklahoma town before three tornadoes blew up all around the town. Has a way of changing one's mind, that hmmm, maybe I should rethink this. Eventually I went back to school and got a degree in History, joined the Air Force, completed medical school and never looked back despite those nostalgic times.
During the depression my dear sweet grandma set a pie on the windowsill to cool. It disappeared. She got the train schedule and every time a train came to town she would bake extra pies and leave them on the sill to cool. I wonder what symbol was used for her? Thanks James, interesting stuff!
What a generous woman. Hobos had to work for my grandparents for food. Nothing hard, but they had to pull their own weight.
A smiling cat was used to mean a kind hearted woman.
@@1wheeldrive751 😂
@@simpletruth9977 only guy that gets it. Sad.
Watched too many cartoons. I remember that one, think it was on the bugs bunny and tweety show. The old grandma.
Dad owned a apple orchard up in Washington from the 60's till his death in 2022, learned the difference between Hobo's, Tramps & bums (you skipped over Winos). When I was 13 IIRC, we had a Hobo picking apples for us, real nice guy. I noticed some cravings on the outside of the pickers cabins, I asked Dad about it, he told me to ask the guy who did it (Hobo). So I did. Basically he was giving us a 5-star review. We got a Work For Food (we'd give our workers stuff out of the garden, some canned goods (chili, beans, etc) bread, small jar of PB, jam, eggs when they showed up, not uncommon they hadn't eaten in days. Then a Kind/Good Men. Work Available. Good Water. And Good/Safe Campsite. I even helped him pack up his roll when he left at the end of harvest. And this was around 1977, he was 73-74, but in good health, said it was his last trip that far north. Dad had a good idea what those marks were, but wanted me to learn from a real Hobo.
That's very cool. I generally just consider winos to be the same as bums. Thanks for watching!
@@WayPointSurvival True on the Wino = Bum, but unfortunately they didn't have much of any say about it. Dad had a story about a Wino (early 60's before I was born), he needed pickers and only could find 3 Winos, after getting them a little dried out and they started working, he noticed one of them was a very intelligent man, even calling him the smartest person he'd ever met. Found out he had been a English Lit professor at a big College/University. His family were teetotalers, but he went to a faculty party, was given a cocktail, in no time drunk himself out of a job.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
@@brentwalters8921Yikes. That wasn't a great way to end up.
@@WayPointSurvivalIt’s a shame we can’t offer help to hobos this way now. Can we?
My dairy has tracks bordering property and been passed down 100 years. There is several symbols changed over the years I noticed.
I remember as a kid coming out to the barn and it was common to find someone sleeping in the hay barn. Or filling their jug with milk . Some would want work others just needed out of the rain.
Now days it less and less any want to work and just steal. All the people I remember growing up don't come around anymore.
Sad but good memories.
Yes, people used to regard proper character as important.
From this old person, thank you for keeping some of the old ways alive. God bless you
Holy smokes! This guy is a 200 y/o squirrel!
I'm an old man and grew up near the tracks and had railroad workers in the family. As a boy I remember the bo's as we called them and the old railroad pensioners , they taught me many things that helped me survive to this day. Thank you so much for bringing back these memories. My Grandfather road the rails during the Depression.
That's so cool! I would love to have a conversation with you about what you learned!
@@WayPointSurvival More than happy to talk to you about these things ask and I will be happy to answer.
@user-rn1hr8em3u If you contact me through my website, we can connect better than here. www.waypointsurvival.com
My grandfather worked on the railroad during the depression
My brother Spud was a knight of the road ,rode the steel ribbon EVERYWHERE , had friends all over the nation , may he rest well .
Hobo was a great name to hear on your 2way radio especially if we're a downed air man during the Vietnam war, those men were life savers !!!
Very interesting! Was it code?
It was the name given to the Skyraider Pilots who flew rescue missions in N/S Vietnam to support Jolly Greens helicopters to pick up Air men!!!
@@rossrossier935It might be 50 years late, but welcome home! Thank you for your service and your many sacrifices.
Hi GB Barbie3 although I never served in àrmed service, I had 2 brothers that served in Vietnam and made it home ok,thanx!!!@@GuantanamoBayBarbie3
@@rossrossier935 God bless you! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🤝
My Irish immigrant Grandad came to the US at age 12 alone during the late 1800's. His trip over as a stowaway is a story in itself... However, he got a job as a break man, swinging a red kerosene lantern from the caboose, to let the engineer know everyone, or everything was off, and they could leave. His train went from NYC to Buffalo NY. Catching Hobos & bums was part of his job... He told stories about the difference between bums and hobos. I think coming from a poor Irish family, and going thru a lot to get to America, made him more sympathetic to their plight. He got to know a few guys, and would ensure they were fed, and safe for the 30+ hour train ride. He gave them his food, and allowed them to ride inside the caboose with him during winter. He was a kind man, and worked hard on a farm on his days off. My Grandma would pack extra for them. This video about the signs they used is REALLY interesting! {I wonder if there were signs left on Grandads caboose}!
There might be but .... often left on trees, bridges, fence posts etc things that were fixed local markers so as to assist the next traveler. Gypsy Moon was a Hobo whom I met after the song Gypsies, Tramps and Theives was released. She and Steam Train Murray came to see Reefer Charlie. All 3 of these Individuals had spent a couple of days in Britt Iowa evey year, they gifted Charlie a painting painted by a fellow Hobo who often sang so his speech impediment was not so obvious ( he also released country music). Born Charles Elmer Fox he published 2 Books ' Tales of an American Hobo' and 'Weeds and other Edibles'.
Thank you for sharing your story with us! It is often people who have suffered the most who care the most. They are often the most compassionate and empathetic regarding other people's needs and what they're going through. I wish I could read your grandfather's story of being a stowaway!
I encourage you to begin writing, typing, or recording some of your family history stories. My mom died in 2020 at the age of 94. She had a journal of some of her memories from before my sisters and I were born. She never completed it, but we're thankful to have what is there. So many times I've wished I could ask her this or that about our family. She was the keeper of our family history. Please consider leaving your family a compilation of your memories. It's a priceless gift. ❤🎁❤
YOUR STORY OF YOUR GRANDAD, WAS VERY INTERESTING. THANKS FOR SHARING IT!!!!!
@@jeanadamsick9854
Thank you! He had quite a life!
@@GuantanamoBayBarbie3
Thank you! My grandma "wrote a book", but it was about her childhood, and our family on her side. My grandpa's side was not mentioned much. I've written down what I remember from him, and my Mom {who is 90, lives with me, and has memory issues} remembers a lot more. Her memories are more about life during the depression. She knows how her dad was a stowaway, and got caught, then, was made to work off his fare. But she's the youngest, and my Aunt who just passed away this January, told me a lot more as I was growing up. Eventually, I will get all these tapes, notes {and the lantern I've still got}, and sit down and get it all together in one place! You are correct. Folks who've had to work hard, many times not seeing much reward immediately, are the kinder people. We could sure use more kindness now!
My mother went to live with her gradmother during the great depresion. A man knocked and asked if he could do any work for a meal. He split some fire wood. He was given some sandwiches. Mum was then sent to give him sandwiches to take with him. He thanked my mum and said he had not eaten in 3 days, and he was trying to get money to send to his wife and children.
Also my grandfather said in the great depresion there was plenty of food and goods, but no money. He also said another depression would come with money but nothing to buy. How true this was. During covid i recieved double unemployment but shelves at supermarkets were empty. No idea how my grandfather could predict this 90 years before it happened.
Interesting! Thanks for watching sharing!
Sounds like your grandfather had experienced a period of time like that and he knew how history has a potential for repeating itself. If only we would glean the wisdom of our elders while we're still young and could put that wisdom to good use, we could very possibly avoid many hardships of this world.
😊 I know why. Grandfather was a God-fearing man.
He had the wisdom of experience. Humanity hasnt changed since the days of Noah, and Humanity drives all this. Understand what it means to be human and you have a lot of foresight.
My pa was quite the prophet as well and I can say even darker times are coming .
My grandpa showed me a bunch of the signs he knew from his hobo days around 1910 to 1915. It was the highlight of my day to hear him and an old black man called "spitully" talk about the days gone by and the different way the black and white "jungle" was organized. Spitully said he still never trusted white folk, even kids as they could be the worst. I'd set on the riverbank while they fished for hours and listen. Thank you for jogging this old papaw's memory
That's awesome! I would love to hear some of those stories!
Experienced same thing in reverse. Don’t blame him for mistrust, whites are not allowed to be mistrustful
blessed Grandpa and bless Mr. Spitully , may they wear Heaven's halos and happily hobo together Around Heaven.yes in God's name I pray✝️🛐😊😊😊
Very cool.
God bless you, Sir. You should write the stories down, or record them. I'm sure one of your kids or grandkids could help. Those days are gone but not forgotten, not yet, thanks to people like you.
We all love the hobo series please keep the knowledge and shows coming thank you!
Will do!
Thank you for your excellent video. My grandfather worked for UP, living directly next to the tracks. My mother used to tell stories about the Hobos that she dealt with. One sign they used, was an empty pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes which, always seemed to be on the pile of railroad ties. It signified to others that Grandma would give them a bowl of soup. In the Depression, that was a big deal. Thanks again for the video.
About twenty years ago I lived for a time in an older house in Tempe Arizona that was a block away from the railroad tracks. Shortly after moving in I noticed that discreetly penciled on the door frame of the front door were three circles in a row, each with an x inside. As it happened I was studying at the ASU campus nearby, and several weeks before had just read an article about hobo symbols as part of my graduate studies. It was both surprising and exciting to discover such a real world example of what had previously seemed a rather abstract topic. The markings of course meant that the previous resident of that house had been a kind person, a soft touch, someone good for a handout. Ever since then I have looked for such markings when I go someplace new.
Thanks, James, for the lesson on "hobo hieroglyphics." This series has been very educational, and the way you have explained the way of the hobo reminds me of the saying,"broke is a financial state, but poor is a mental state. " I appreciate all the videos you put out. Keep 'em coming 👍
The railroad tracks were behind the barn, a short walk through the woods. Men would approach the house, looking for work and grandma would assign chores. Mom said it wasn't uncommon to have two or three strangers join them for supper. After they ate, they would pile straw in one of the empty stalls. Next morning... they would be gone.
My Father was a telegrapher for the Southern Pacific, the tracks were about 12 adult steps from my bedroom window.
You could always tell the difference between the Hobos, the tramps and the bums.
The Hobos would always come to the front door and knock to ask if there were any chores to be done for a meal,
fifty cents, or maybe even a dollar.
The tramps would steal anything that wasn't nailed down and even pry out the nails if they could.
The bums would just try begging, it didn't work with us.
I fed a lot of Bos when I was a kid back in the 50's, most of them were pretty interesting people who just fell on hard times.
I was a teenage run away; bad home. So I became a homeless hobo for a while. Hated drugs and alcohol and stayed away from those that did them. Traveling, sleeping here or there and usually but not always found enough to eat out of the garbage or hunted small game, rabbit, squirrel turkey, quail and quail eggs, water out of the creeks for boiling in an aluminum pot I found. Quart size, metal and wood handle. Carried my spoon, knife, and fork. Had many ways of starting fire for cooking food, boiling water, and warmth. I would bury the red hot coals underneath the dirt. Heat would keep me warm most of the night. Ahhh, life. When you grow up in the 70’s with unloving, uncaring, selfish, hateful parents you run away and try to make things better for yourself and or others around you. And try and surround yourself with positive loving caring people. You make the best of things as you can. And someone told me once...forgive.....always forgive those that sin against you or hurt you. Love your neighbor as yourself and always love and obey God. I tried to remember that when at times I was hungry and found nothing to eat...do not steal...would come to mind. He wrote His law in my heart. The next day or so I would find food or whatever the need may have been. I learn to cope I learn to deal and work with what I had available at the time. So I know if and when things go bad again in my heart I’m prepared and I know exactly what to do to survive and thrive. If you need to get right with God, submit their forward to him resist the devil and the devil will flee from you. Read. Obey. Trust. And never forget to Love.
Indeed. Thanks for sharing!
Amen❤
Simple life. Thanks for sharing. Many more will be made homeless in the coming years. Many more!
So learn to live by biblical principles, and above all, make sure your soul is saved through faith in Jesus Christ's payment for your sins.
Failure to live by biblical principles is why America is going downhill so fast.
Amen all around. Thanks for sharing
you're a fine man,and a credit to heaven😊, I will pray to the Lord God to bless you and keep you,in His holy name continue to be blessed👍🎆🎇✨✝️🛐↖️!!!
I never knew about the hobo cemeteries something that totally I took me by surprise on railroad property
I love your videos. My daddy rode the railroad when going around the country looking for work he was born in 1927. And he had a few good friends who he would travel with.
They were great stories ❤
Excellent. I would love to hear those stories!
@@WayPointSurvivalMe too!
About 1958 I went home from a job by the tracks and me and my mother made some sandwiches that I took back and gave them... they were proud people
The story goes that during the depression, my grandmother on my mom’s side had a hobo do some chores in exchange for feeding him. Afterwards she caught him leaving hobo signs on the sidewalk, and chewed him out and ran him off. They lived close to the railroad yards and I Guess she didn’t want an endless stream of vagabonds coming to get fed.
The HOBO seriers keeps on getting better and better! Thank you James for the effort you expend on this important part of history to life.
Thanks so much, my friend!
This is American social history I bet they'd never teach in schools yet it's important knowledge.
Yes!! Another installment in the hobo series!!! Absolutely fascinating James! Thank you very much for sharing this! God bless and take care my friend!!
You're welcome and God bless you too!
I had an uncle who rode the rails to the gold mines of Northern Ontario from the midwest.
Crazy stories he had…
One of the greatest movies depicting that time was Emperor of the North.
Book read recommendation Ten Lost Years 1929-1939
Thanks for watching and for the info!
Hobo Time! I Love Learning About The Riders Of The Rails. Thanks James 👍
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
I remember my Granddad telling me about them in the early 70's. He worked for Southern Pacific, out of Reno, as a brakeman and conductor, might have been an engineer as well. Was always fascinated by his stories. Great video!!!
Thanks so much!
My Grandad starting around 12yrs old would "jump a train" and ride it across the country. In 1942 he lied about his 15yr old self and joined the army.. but the train stories seemed to really get my attention..
My grandparents house backed up to the main train track in their small rural town. Up until WWII, they had a lot of hobos visiting them to do work for food. My grandma always had small jobs for them, cleaning downspouts, mowing their lawn, and she fed them really well. When a group of them would visit, she gave them a bigger job-move the outhouse, clean the gutters on the 2nd floor, prune the fruit trees. They would be given a proper farm dinner, and they always got any leftovers. However, when the ‘gypsies’ (sorry for the slur, I don’t know what else to call them) came, she licked up the house, drew the curtains, and locked my mom and uncle in a big wardrobe. Of course, my mom and uncle would sneak out, and my mom learned how to do tarot and read tea leaves from them. What a life, huh?
We lived in rural Fouke, Arkansas in the early’70’s and my dad and grandpa would take us kids out to see the gypsy camps when they came through. Messy bunch of folks. Always left a lot of garbage behind.
You mention the slamming boxcar door. My uncle was trapped for three days in a boxcar when this happened to him. He learned to put his pocket knife in the door track so it couldn't completely shut. Also to sleep on the top of the rail car he said he would put his belt through the walkway so as not to fall off. Once that was done he would pull his cap over his face to keep out the cinders from the engine. These techniques I am sure he was taught by older , more experienced Ho-Bos.
No doubt.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I would love to see more on this topic.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestion!
My grandmother was very familiar with some of these signs since she often was a source of food for hobo and poor travelers.
Excellent!
ive seen these type of symbols over here in the uk! usually in chalk (or sometimes marker!) on trees, walls and paths... more than likely not hobo markings but similar, only seen a few times in big cities and towns. (uk doesnt have hobo's as such to my knowledge!) usually they were near groups of working homeless folks (they have actual paid jobs but are homeless) usually nice folks too, very helpful 😊 the drunks and riff raff tend to avoid these places entirely. 😊
ive always liked this form of signalling... imagine the use in a shtf situation where a group of folks know the signs and meet together at a central point after travelling seperately (for security and safety reasons) the uses are so flexible.
i know when i was in the cubs/scouts we had to learn what i'd call "ground signalling" where you would leave signs very similar to the hobo ones on the ground with whatever was nearby... wonder if they are linked?
these vids are so interesting 😊 keep them coming 😁🎉🎉
When I was a child playing on the RR tracks, I used to see these symbols and wonder what they meant. It was kind of like seeing Indian sign language in a cave, with a little imagination. Thanks for the info. I helped out a homeless man a while back. He was telling me about the life, how many thieves lived in the homeless shelter. I helped him out and when I see stuff like this I hope he found a place to stay and thrive.
Yes. It still is pretty rough out there these days.
Boy, thieves in the homeless shelter. I've heard that before when I was in AA and there were the unfortunates who had to live in the local homeless shelter, and what they always had was only a backpack and if you left it unguarded for a moment, you'd come back to find it being rifled through, or worse, already pilfered. Sucks for people just doing their damnedest to get their life together and right.
@@kruksog According to this guy it was true. I gave him fast food, offered other things, he was concerned about what would happen to them. He was washing his clothes in a sink. I was thinking how blessed my family is. We were talking about getting some type of tiny home village started for homeless. I know it is being looked at, I hope it goes through.
@@outdoorlife5396 yea Im agreeing if that's not clear. I've heard that a lot is what I'm saying.
@@kruksog I didn't mean it ugly, sorry if that was the way it came off. I try to do as the Lord commands us. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I was pushing for a homeless shelter type tiny home it's like a we got skin in the game. Teach a few basic skills, hopefully transplant we can move on from this bad situation. Try to give a hand up instead of out. All is good.
The Hobo series has been fascinating. A great uncle of mine was a hobo. I never knew very much about him.
Glad you are enjoying it!
Thank you for posting this video- it brought back some good memories. My late Uncle Ray rode the rails regularly until he passed away in the late 1960s from tuberculosis.
As a kid I remember seeing these symbols on our gate post. My grandmother could be counted on for a sandwich or two.
Excellent!
After reading some O'Henry, I fell in love with Hobo lore. It would be great to get a film on Hobos, if there aren't any. You would be a great producer on such a project, Good job,
There is an old movie (with Lee Marvin) called "Emperor of the North" you might want to watch.
@@alantubbs5113 thanks 🙏
Love the Hobo series. Back in the 50s in the 1st grade I was asked what I wanted to be, Hobo. Life of freedom. Ended up doing 40+ years as a LEO. Ironic.
there was a story book.....a little boy's uncle came to visit (he was a hobo)...... maybe it was "encyclpedia Brown" ......anyway I am 70 and still remember it
I knew if I kept mentioning the symbols you'd do an episode on it! I knew most of these from an American autobiography of a hobo travelling salesman. He didn't like tramps or bums like most hobos. Soon as you drew the circle with the arrows I said get out now! The symbols change cause I've seen others that ment kind people live here aka work a few hours for food and a bed or sometimes just food given here which was a fork and spoon but those seem to be newer symbols, also crossed utensils ment no food here when cross used to mean good or yes and circle bad or no. Thanks as always for the video. Love hearing about these great people.
I actually used one of these symbols for an area that I have camped once. I go back from time to time and I can tell when someone has been there. Thanks for the video series. ✌️👍
Interesting!
My great grandma told me all about her childhood during the depression, we weren’t wealthy but we were hardworking farmers. Everybody worked everybody gardened and everybody canned, in thier area community stayed fed together through barter and shared labor, traits still passed down and valued in our family.
Apparently, my great grandma Roxie was always feeding hobos and giving them little jobs. My great grandpa Archie had to put his foot down. He would get home from work, and there would be some random guy there. They were poor too. They lived in an old barn they fixed up (before that, a tent). He had enough kids to feed. He found hobo markings he had to paint over or scratch out or something. They were awesome people. I wish I could have known them. Roxie had a sister that could roll a cigarette while driving a tractor. Old school Kansas people.
So we, much like every where else, have an indigent population. Recently I gave a young women a few things to help her on her journey. The next day drawn in chalk I noticed a cross on the cross beam of my porch. Warmed my heart
-The way things are going. A lot of people are going to need to know these signs soon.
You might be right!
I believe that this will take place once again, but in this day and age, we had best be wary of roving gangs....
Thank you for the hobo education, sir.
Any time!
I had two Great Grandfathers do a little hoboing way back in the day. One Great Grandfather did a little hoboing until he had an accident. He was ran over by one of the steel wheels of a rail car. They where able to reattach his leg which was shorter afterwards. The other Great Grandfather was so taken by the town of El Reno Oklahoma he named my Grandmother after the town with a slight spelling difference, Elrena.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing the story!
Thanks for the amazing history and video of the hobo symbols. Keep up the great work and God Bless.
Thanks, you too!
Hobo Shoestring would approve of your video.
I hope so!
An interesting movie about hobos is Emperor of the North. Ernest Borgnine's character was absolutely brutal.
A#1
Thank you! I saw that movie as a kid and thought it was fascinating, but couldn't remember the name of it.
Between that and Woody Guthrie I've always thought this part of history was worth learning about.
The movie Bound for Glory (about Woody's life) is also a good flick.
I am glad to be of service. An interesting thing about Ernest Borgnine who plays the heavy in the movie is that he normally played a character that was a heavy or at the very least on the gruff side. However, I heard him being interviewed once on the radio. He was anything but gruff. It was all that so and so was a sweetie or a darling. It was all sweetness and light.
If you are interested in other movies set in the era, I have some suggestion for great movies. They Shoot Horses Don't They and Places in the Heart are great dramas. Sand Pebbles is set in 1926 but has a similar feel to depression era movies and is also a great drama.
The Sting is a bit of dark comedy as it has a bit of violence and death in it. The Ragtime musical scores are great. Harlem Nights is funny, but it does get a bit blue, so skip it if that is not to your taste. It has Redd Foxx in it. Enough said.
So much wondeful history of hobos ❤
I'm excited for each new video! 😍
Thanks for reminding today's world that hoboes were men of integrity who courageously faced the challenges in their day while maintaining a good work ethic in their endeavors to provide for their families. "Man looks upon the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart." Generally speaking, I see the hobo as a person of Faith & Fortitude! I find it very interesting that, just as hobos had their communication symbols, when early Christianity was under persecution, believers often used the symbol of the FISH to identify themselves & their faith. Thank you, James, & may God bless you & yours.
Thanks so much and may God bless you and yours as well!
Thank you for the serious side of Hobology 😊
I have been to Britt Iowa With my good friend
Redbird Express several times
Since Redbird caught the westbound this
Year this note is to grapevine the info
To Sunrise and Virginia Slim
Penny Pincher and Flatcar Frank
Redbird was a true King of the Dream and Road
Regards fron Tinker Da Thinker and
Bike Week Hobo and Spike 🚲🌴✌️👌
Circa 1950s, lived near Santa Fe rail yards in San Bernardino. Family often helped those in need, and symbols like those were in neighborhood. Never any trouble from those old hobos and their stories fascinated me. Thank you for documenting their history.
Fantastic videos as always, James! Thanks for the info! As a traveler myself, I take in all this great information and apply it to my own modern kit.
Appreciate the great video. It’s amazing how well the signs are able to communicate the important information about the location and environment for a transient working hobo.
Gypsies did something similar when they left town . 'Patrins' is the word for this . They left markers for family to follow .
Very educational. Thank You, James.
My precious grandmother lived on Route 66 in NE Oklahoma for many decades. Hobos, those hard-times travelers on the nearby rails who were looking to work for a meal, marked her picket fence with the four straight lines and shovels. I recall seeing the old gate well, decades later. SHE WAS A GREAT COOK with a big garden and livestock, such a generous soul. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPASSION and THESE GREAT MEMORIES.
Thanks so much for watching!
Oh my goodness I would have never made it. WOW no way anyone would let you do some work around your home these days. Thank you Brother James. I Love your teachings.😊❤
You're welcome!
Glad for this video! Been waiting for more hobo symbols! Thanks.
You're welcome!
this one was fun, i need a hat with the symbols for "nothing to gain here, angry man" lol
Thanks for sharing this with us and the people who remember these people are disappearing daily and not many left of them.
Thanks, James - I've been waiting and hoping for this one!
You're welcome!
Awesome video James, enjoyed it as always! God Bless Sir.
Thanks, you too!
James if you haven't read it check out " dairy of a Welsh swagman" it's the dairy of a hobo from Wales who travelled to Australia way back in 1869. Wonderful book detailing all the hard time and the work the man William Evans did during his stay in Aus.
Another wonderful video thank for posting.
That's my ex family , I was over ther a while from Australia, I been round at the house that man lived , an old lady give me a copy of the book but it was in welsh so I never read it lol . He was quite the character I believe.
It was near Tregaron
@@coryparni3620 wow that is amazing. If you ever get a copy in English it's a super read.
Or I could sell you mine ha?
Very interesting! I was a kid back in the 50’s and I remember frequently seeing hobos riding the rails throughout the Southern California area. Oftentimes they could be seen carrying a large sack of belongings slung over their backs as they walked along the railroad tracks…
I know a bunch of hobos. Through my travels i have encountered many. I have traversed The US mexico and Canada and those guys are the greats.
Excellent. Thanks for watching!
I have taken this TH-cam channel seriously due to what's happening in Europe, Russia, and The Middle East. Please, everybody, take this show seriously too and learn as much as you can.
Very smart.
Unless it’s he teach post nuclear war survival skills it’s all uses…….
@@stargazer4683its the same thing and being educated on the actual results of nuclear war is important. Most well to do countries have guided systems that destroy nukes while still way up in the sky, this will basically render it to an EMP with some diverse affects. It's not going to be fallout 3
Stfu! 😂 nothing different is happening in Europe Russia and Middle East! Ypu mean war lolol. News flash smart guy all these countries been fighting wars since in time memoriam
Why?
I have a friend of mine who has the nickname Hobo, he was a nuclear grade welder who helped build Grand Gulf nuclear power plant. He's been a great mentor in torch/welding etiquette many years ago.
Excellent. Sounds like a great guy to know!
@@WayPointSurvival He has been a great friend and confidant! His wife Ms. Charlotte and him are still some of my best friends! They are both in their late 70's, but I'm so blessed to have them in my life!
Back in the 50’s there was a wooded area off Kirk avenue that was called Hobo jungle. You would find empty food cans and what was left of camp fires. This was in Baltimore Maryland 😮
Very cool! If only places like that could talk!
I remember as a kid in the 70s there were still a good amount of hobos
My sisters said they were going to sell me to them if I was bad. That worked on me like the military school threat my dad used. We lived near rail road I remember seeing them.
In the 1990s I worked in a pizza parlor in Flushing, NY, and we had a regular hobo customer who was always neat, always gentlemanly. He wore a vest and suit jacket, carried a walking stick that happened to have a decent sized bindle at the end. The gentleman told me that his reason was just that he had the need to be moving on and he didn't enjoy being indoors. I totally respected that man. He flitted about Flushing for a week or so longer and would come in every day for a slice or just a coffee, and we had a restroom he could use. Then after that week or so he moved on. And I always wondered about him and how was he doing.
Very cool!
I just love the style of the man’s fedora hat. My Dad wore one when I was growing up 50’s-60’s. I hope they make a comeback one day.
There's a book called "Hatless Jack". It's about how JFK pretty much ruined the haberdashery industry.
@@Cricket2731 So maybe a mad hatter was in Dallas that day...
Hobos of the by gone days reminded me of explorers. They kept pressing on no matter the weather or the opinions of other people thanks again GOD BLESS
Indeed. God bless you too!
Love the hobo history, appreciate it.
Cool video. I have looked up hobo signs for a project once and found them fascinating. For a while in the early days of wi-fi it was common for people to put a symbol in front of benches that were within reach of a free signal. I always thought of that as a sort of modern-day hobo sign.
Yes. Good observation!
My grandparents had a place on the RR tracks near a siding. About a quarter of a mile from there was a "jungle" and they often had hobos come by.
Very cool!
My great grandfather had a house by the tracks and operated the track switch. My great grandmother would save tin cans and make soup and when tthe train would stop, she would pass them out and ask them to throw them beside the tracks when they were done. She would pick them up and get more going.
Wonderful!
Very interesting - quite similar to the 'gypsy'-signs used here in Europe. The meaning of a cross is the same, but a circle most of the time ment money and a fence getting arrested. They were common until the 1970s and I used them to keep them off my door. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting. Thanks for watching!
this is such a break from all the trap on the Internet. Just love sitting on my back porch smoking a cigar and watching the hobo vids. great channel
I am glad you enjoy the channel! I'm working on a Christmas special right now that should be out on Monday or Tuesday of next week
Fantastic........ Waiting for the series A day in the life of a hobo, or adventures of a Hobo
Well I do vlogs and other videos of your into that 😀
I subscribed today. This is the 2nd one of your videos I've seen. Thanks for these. My Dad regarded butter as a wonderful luxury item his whole life, from only having lard in the depresson. Those times made strong people. Loved the Hobo Carry Kit video. I'm going to put those 4 horizontal lines on my gate. Got some stuff needs more muscles than I've got. 😊
Thanks for subbing!
You could open a Hobo museum.
They have one in Britt, Iowa!
@@WayPointSurvival But you should still have your own lol, would be very interesting I'm sure.
Very interesting! My gramma used to feed the hobos who came through their small town. They hardly had anything themselves, as it was the great depression, but she was very tender-hearted.
is super cool the way simple signs and symbols can say so much if you know how to read them; and for those who played skyrim the thieves guild use signs called shadowmarks pretty much the same way
Hobo signs is a topic that has interested me for a long time. Here in Sweden we had our own culture of hobos and they also used hobo signs. The interesting thing is that many of the symbols in the USA and Sweden are the same.
Interesting Indeed!
No doubt there was some crossover, with Swedes immigrants.
My grandparents lived by the tracks and raised 7 kids during the Great Depression. My grandparents would feed them for menial jobs in the yard such as repair work to the shed/ chicken house when needed. They knew they were marked, but could not find any symbols close to the property. The hobos disappeared around 1940 when the economy got better. 4 generations of my family lived in that house. Me and my brother played around the tracks and never found anyone riding the trains like the hobos in the 1960s except a few hippies that got stupid and got injured or dead.
Very interesting! Many of the classic hobo train riders just found jobs and settled down after WW2.
Armona ca. fruit packing plant. We traded canned food for old knives or books. Loved the summer. Learned to play guitar and harmonica at the old camp from mellow old fellows.
Grandma would tell her friends that she would put 2 cans of beans on the front porch for me. It got rid of me for the rest of the day. Life was so much better back then. We always had plenty to do.
I had a grandfather and a great-grandfather who were hobo's as younger men.
I'm 56, but as a little kid I always had a facination with the Hobo lifestyle.
At 17 I left home and Hitchhiked all around the West. I honestly think I was a Hobo in a previous life? Thanks for sharing these.
You're very welcome!
Very informative indeed. I’ll have to research more of these symbols as I think with the way how things are going in the world it’ll be important down the line.
My mom told stories of my grandmother feeding the odd transient hobo here in Canada during the Great Depression. These folks were said to be polite and looking for work. They tended to get a sandwich and ate it on the back porch.
Very cool!
What an amazing video...please do more.i remember my momtelling me that my grandma would give some hobos meals every now and then,and in return they made certain that nothing bad would happen to them
Good stuff as always my friend!
Much appreciated, my friend!
There's an old family story from the depression era in my family from a town near Alexandria, MN. A hobo came to the farm once and got a meal for doing a few chores. Over the next several weeks more hobos came looking for chores for a meal (the meal was given, but the chores that needed to be done were less and less).
Hobos did frequently walk on the tracks near their farm, but this hadn't really happened before so it became suspicious for my great grandfather. He eventually went down to the tracks and found some symbols in the gravel which included an X and an 8 (is what is remembered). He destroyed the symbols and never saw another hobo again. I think this is the first time that I am getting a clue as to what the symbol meanings precisely were.
Gracias por tomarte el tipo para hacer otro video de hobo ,acá en Argentina eran llamados cortos o linyeras,saludos desde La Pampa ,Argentina, Dios te bendiga
First time viewer here, I think of this YT video as quaint. This was a bygone era the towns and cities were smaller with a slower pace. I understand many people didn’t want to be a hobo but the post civil war era until after the depression was a tough time. The need for services to help people in a tough spot is still here. Many people today don’t realize how close they are to being to being in this position.
Thanks for watching.