Pullman Hobo Fest - Hobo History

September 6th & 7th, 2008 - Historic Pullman District, Chicago's South Side

Three hobos, Chicago, 1929. Text on image reads: Hoboe's 'Jungle' Under Loop Street. (Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago Historical Society)

The Song of the Hobo

Robert T. Duncan (1919)

I'm sick of it, boys, with its din and noise,
It ain't just the place for me;
The city's all right for a single night
If you make it a downright spree.

But to make it a home when one's free to roam
By river, and forest, and lake;
Let him do it who can, but it ain't for the man
Who lives for living's sake.

The town is for him whose eyes will grow dim
O'er the ledger's crowded lines;
He can never dream of the spell of a stream,
Or the campfire 'neath the pines.

Yes! the prarie is the place for me
With its trackless miles and miles;
Where I'll draw my breath without fear of death
From the crazy automobiles.

Then farewell the lights and welcome the nights
With the vastness and silence and stars;
And my heart will not yearn for the money they earn,
Who work behind city bars.

HOME JUNGLE GET INVOLVED

Photos, videos, music & articles

The Pullman Hobofest is a celebration of the culture and history of the American hobo. The American hobo lifestyle is said to have emerged after the Civil War as the old agricultural economy gave way to an industrial system. Jobs were scarce and soldiers returning from war found little prospects at home. Another major period that defined much of the what we think of as "hobo" was the Great Depression when great numbers of those without work took to the rails to find opportunity.

The hobo lifestyle and culture has been intertwined with folk music and other American roots music, the labor movement and social activism, oral history and storytelling, and folk crafts. Below, find articles, music and video to learn more about the history of the American hobo.

Hobo Music of the Great Depression

Hobodom reached its height in numbers during the Great Depression. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to hit the rails and travel for free via freight trains, looking for opportunities elsewhere. Here is some music from the Depression era from the Library of Congress collection "Voices from the Dust Bowl: The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection."

Hobo History - a video pictorial

In this documentary-style short clip, Jim Kershner explores hobo history featuring some great classic photos. Click picture below to see video or click here (opens in new window).

Carl Sandburg (1868-1967)

How They Broke Away To Go To The Rootabaga Country.

This Illinois native, author, and poet travelled as a hobo and learned folk songs which he later performed for audiences during lectures. A true "man of the people," Sandburg held capitalism in distrust because of the contrast he noted between the lives of rich and poor. In this children's story, Gimme the Ax and his family live in a house where they enjoy turning doorknobs, opening doors, and "nothing ever changes." Then one day, they decide to hit the road for a life of adventure. A cute story for kids.

Gimme the Ax lived in a house where everything is the same as it always was. "The chimney sits on top of the house and lets the smoke out," said Gimme the Ax. "The doorknobs open the doors. The windows are always either open or shut. We are always either upstairs or downstairs in this house. Everything is the same as it always was." So he decided to let his children name themselves... SEE MORE

The hobo and the fairy - Jack London, 1916

Famed American author Jack London spent time as a hobo and was once a member of Coxey's Industrial Army of the Unemployed, which marched on Washington to agitate for jobs during the depression of 1894. In this short story, a no-good tramp without hope finds reason to change his ways and believe in a bright tomorrow after a chance encounter with a little girl (click here).

Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933)

"The Singing Breakman"

America's first country music superstar and son of a section foreman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, Jimmie Rodgers went to work as a waterboy on the M&O at age fourteen and later became a brakeman. Rodgers was introduced to the blues and learned banjo and guitar from railroad workers and hoboes. Press play button on player below (be patient). NOTE: Public domain media due to copyright expiration.

Hoboes of America - 1939 Yearbook

This thiry-two page pamphlet was written by Jeff Davis, "King of Hoboes of America" and "Emperor of the League of Hoboes of the World." This classic treatise describes the definition of a hobo, describes the first Hobo World Conference in London, 1938, and provides the "official Hobo Constitution." Read more here.

Talk of the Nation (radio show), July 6, 1999

"The History of Hoboes," a 59-minute long radio show, features interviews with author Buzz Potter, former president of the National Hobo Association and editor of "The Hobo Times", hobo James San Jule, as well as Errol Lincoln Uys, author of "Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move during the Great Depression." Click here (requires RealAudio capable plugin).

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Design by Jacob Shepherd - Carbondale, IL -- 2008