John's Blog

Hobo Signs

Not to be confused with the generic "homeless", the term "hobo" refers to those without homes who ride freight trains, or at least that was the original qualifier. One tends to think of hobos as something that existed during the depression, but there are those who still identify themselves as hobos today.

These sidewalk signs represent a universal language that communicated helpful information or warnings to others that share the lifestyle. But just jumping on a train does not a hobo make. They describe the difference as follows: "A Hobo is a person that travels to work. A tramp is a person that travels and wont work. A bum is a person that will neither travel or work."

A few more links for you to tramp through:

Glossary of Hobo Terms
Happy Hobo Days
John Hodgman's recording of 700 hobo names
Flickr gallery of the 700 Hoboes
E-Hobo: The 700 Hobo Project
Fred's Website: freighthopping, hoboes, boxcar art

(UPDATE: Boing Boing tells us that the Flickr group has completed the drawing project and all 700 hoboes are now illustrated! And one talented member did a photo mosaic of John Hodgman (The Daily Show, I'm A PC) using the hobo drawings!)

Tags: pop-culture, hobos, history