famous hobo names

Way harder to catch out since 9/11 and harder still for an aging hopper. The origin of the term is unknown. Im a man of few words. Some examples follow: Many hobo terms have become part of common language, such as "big house", "glad rags", "main drag", and others. Decide your own life; don't let another person run or rule you. With no more troops or supplies to move after the end of the Civil War, the country's railroads became home to another armythat of the hobos. This article is a selection from the May issue of Smithsonian magazine. It is most famous for its distinctive beige camel check pattern. The hobos have come here every year since 1900. Britt is a small town in north-central Iowa. [6] Liberman points out that many folk etymologies fail to answer the question: "Why did the word become widely known in California (just there) by the early Nineties (just then)? First, Id like to say to the good people of Britt I surely appreciate your hospitality, and the real fine sit-down youve put on. His given name is Leon Ray Livingstonand he was born in 1872 and he was a lifelong wanderer. Vachel Lindsay and Robert Frost are early poets of the form, and Frosts The Death of the Hired Man may be our most wrenching depiction of leaving home and returning home, of itinerant work and our obligations to one another: Home is the place where, when you have to go there, Nevertheless, his story touched the hearts of many. A hobo is homeless by choice. In 1906, Professor Layal Shafee, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in the United States at about 500,000 (about 0.6% of the US population at the time). To have been a hoboor a tramp or a bumis a pretty loosely held title, hard to pin down biographically. According to Livingston, he was born in August 1872 into a family from San Francisco that he described as "well-to-do," but at age 11, misbehavior at school led him down a different path in life. July 27, 2010 New T Dot Hobo: Zanta. Davcina (Babylonian origin) means the wife of Hea, Hea was one of the Mesopotamian Gods. Alyssa Schukar And of course the whole thing runs on talk, endless talk. Millie Opitz remembers hoboes coming to her neighborhood. Joe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hgglund and also known as Joseph Hillstrm, was a Jumping a train is still a dangerous act of sometimes desperate athleticism. Nice library and municipal building, and the police station used to be the dentists office. Not all in idle wantonness do tramps carve their monicas, dates, and courses. Used to be a Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul line; then the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern. Behold, the method hobo names are determined by. The brand, which got its start in France in the late 1800s, is best known for its Speedy bag and Neverfull tote in checkered Damier prints and LV Monogram made of leather and coated canvas. Not every hobo wants to share his or her real name with the straights and the Square Johns, of which, with my notebook and recorder and wingtip shoes, I am decidedly one. I will, however, cop to stealing his shtick yet again, which I think has to do with the fact I listened to his Areas Of My Expertise audiobook a few weeks ago. Folks come and go, talking. Because every hobo has a story and a dream.. Digital Dying examined a few examples.. T Bone Slim T bone was perhaps the twentieth centurys most famous hobo writer. July 27, 2010 New T Dot Hobo: Zanta. Its easy to feel like the hobo has already passed into history. Privacy Statement When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed. 1. is arguably the most famous hobo in the United States. And hes on wiki so hes gotta be Famous. Sally Birdman. Charlie Chaplin took the American hobo global. 1: America's Most Celebrated Tramp. Not every person out there riding now is a Dirty Kid traveling in a punk vest, dreadlocks, face tattoos and shitty stick and poke tats all over their body. ), while others cause a buzz by being the the most loyal friends (Fly Guy! This is by the railroad tracks off Diagonal Street, just over from the cemetery and a couple of blocks down Main Avenue from the center of town. Bret Hartes My Friend the Tramp, a short story from 1877, is an early exploration of the interpersonal politics and impossibly high price of radical individualism. Im Slim Tim. One of this countrys 20th-century greats, modernist composer Harry Partch, was a hobo. They have to take you in. Itll take more than an hour for every car and float and motorcycle to pass wherever it is youre sitting or standing. Most your riders today who rip miles travel solo and work whatever jobs they can find. WebLeon Ray Livingston (1872 - 1944) Leon Ray Livingston was a famous hobo and author, traveling under the name "A-No.1" and often referred to as "The Rambler." But the Dutchmans right, too. Alexander Supertramp Christopher McCandless grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC and attended Atlantas prestigious Emory University. This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 15:59. The Sleuths . The list of people who rode the rails includes many later became famous I wander with the winds. Jeff MacGregor He does 2,000-3,000 pushups per day, dresses as Santa during Christmas, and is banned in certain areas within Toronto. The 1970s delivered Emperor of the North Pole and Bound for Glory, two of the best, and last, movies of the genre. It is a fair accounting of the day to say there were 2,500 attendeesand 2,500 participants. Dutch and Crash both look surprised and sheepish, but happy, in their robes and crowns. Cleats Onionpocket Balloonpopper Chillingsworth Saves-Receipts Dave Canadian Football Pete Based in mutualism and self-respect, it remains every hobos founding document, a simple and forthright set of instructions to live by. If you elect me, I will promote Britt Hobo history. I did a lot of hitchhiking right after high school. Because here we are. WebFor example, the name James, ranked as the most popular male name over the last 100 years, has been ranked as low as number 19. He wrote about a dozen books You wont see em after two years. WebOn the left is Tim Train Dittmar, 47, of southern Minnesota, who was a candidate for Hobo King in 2018. Thats 50 years of riding trains and wandering places, chasing disasters. 1. A celebration of the wanderers and vagabonds we all love. That symbiosis held until trucks took over so much of the nations shipping. Its radical labor politics and spirit are then widely and passionately distributed by rail, by hobos coming and going around the country, like an injection into the national bloodstream. Always broke but never broken, his struggles were everyones. Dusty and I did catch a train, to Galveston. 49 Hobo Names Sonny Six-String, The Hobo Troubador Grinnin Kate Rockpile Saggy Jill Railrider Smilin Jack Cisco, The Hobo Prince of Arizona Duke Snooty the Fancypants Stripperjack Larson Pancake-Flipping Williams Frog-Faced Sally Empty your heart. 1. The Spooky hobo occupation "the Guy With Little Mouths Where His Eyes Should Be" refers to the character, The Hot hobo occupation "Who Is Hot Because He's Fly" refers to, The Hot hobo occupation "Who Is Hot, Hot, So Hot, Sticky Sweet" refers to. Who was a No 1? Most these days have a semipermanent address somewhere for the winter. A-No. A lot of them will share stories of riding with some of those steam-era hobos who used to come to Britt and arent here anymore, so its finding that common connection and theyre so welcoming to people from the community and they love sharing their stories. Everything he owns fits in a knapsack. I wish I were kidding.) She is 85. I did it all on my own. This has changed dramatically, and I think largely because of the weird appearance and bizarre anti-social attitudes of the young, punk-rock, Flintstone Kid riders. Ran away from home when he was 12 or 13, rode freights for about 17 years. Its had a hobo jungle there for a long, long time. He looks a little like Tuck, especially around the eyes, about the same age, but rounder, without the hollows in his cheeks. As an editorial matter, know that I spoke to these folks and they spoke to me, that my bosses know whats what and that these interviews were accurately recorded and transcribed, and that for the purposes of this story I respect every hobos right to anonymity. The recipe is simple, which is roughly true to the origin of the dish: Whatever the hobos had went into the pot. Harry recalls his last conversation with Queen Liz. They may simply have been invented early on by a writer or writers seeking to add to the folklore surrounding hoboes soon after they acquired the name, an invention perpetuated and embellished by others over the years, aided occasionally by amenable hoboes themselves. With the country in the throes of the Great Depression, the warnings Livingston wrote about the hobo lifestyle in each of his books had transformed into full-on speeches against tramping. This morning its a ground pork stew with plenty of potatoes and carrots and cabbage, rice and barley, onions and chili powder in a tomato-paste base. T Bone Slim T bone was perhaps the twentieth centurys most famous hobo writer. So monikers it is. Always respect nature; do not leave garbage where you are jungling. Anthropologist follows trail of century-old hobo graffitihttps://t.co/EGbsLOcoqL pic.twitter.com/anZEi8rzR4. Louis Vuitton Theres no doubt that Louis Vuitton is the most recognizable name on this list. It was easy to find work there in the slaughterhouses to make a buck before you caught out again; easy to go west and build a dam or go east and take a job in a new steel mill. Boho chic has done pretty well. Everything Ive owned, and everything I want in life, fits in this house [points to his knapsack], right in my pack. Language historians and etymologists arent sure, but the word hobo may come from this original population of farmworkers: hoe boys.. But the greatest of these, and most famous, was Joe Hill. I have done my best to ensure that we have not stolen any of John Hodgmans precious 800 hobo namessubliminally. This is very special. Other Great Reads: Dealing with grief after an accidental death. real hobos like Steam Train Maury. We used to watch guys get on and off the trains all the time, so we kind of knew how it all worked. The crowd disperses up and down Main Avenue after the coronation, and you see Queen Lump, a former winner, walking slow, and Minnesota Jim, and the suns hot in the street and the smell of fried dough and midway grease is thick in the heat, and the music and the clatter from the rides are loud and by the end of the day that Hobo Omelet breakfast might raise $2,500 or more, they tell me. In it, youll find the roots of everything and everyone from Woody Guthrie to Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Arlo Guthrie and John Prine, Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen. Canada's free healthcare system at work. A hobo or bo is simply a migratory laborer; he may take some longish holidays, but soon or late he returns to work. No two characters are the same: Some save the day by sniffing out crime (Dog Man! His Little Tramp is the bittersweet flip side of radical labor politics and industrial/agrarian alienation. Its a baggy-pants vaudeville with a five oclock greasepaint shadow.) Populations of employable Americans filled in almost every corner of the map. [7] Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America (1998) that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" [2] The term has also been dated to 1889 in the Westernprobably NorthwesternUnited States,[5] and to 1888. Most of the bos come back here to eat at mealtime, and Hawk, the Crumb Boss, sees to it that everyone gets three squares a day. These time-tested popular names were taken from a universe that includes 177,238,032 male births and 172,053,794 female births. Did you see that old Plymouth? which is a question asked by a guy driving an old Pontiac. [13], Around the end of World War II, railroads began to transition from steam to diesel locomotives, making jumping freight trains more difficult. https://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php?title=Hobo_Names&oldid=696731, Representing the Whole Mid-Atlantic Region, the Southern Officer and the Southern Gentleman, the Guy Who Causes a Temperature-Related Desire to Remove All of One's Clothing, the Guy For Whom the Eskimos Have One Hundred Different Words, the Guy With Icewater In His Veins But Probably Not Literally, the Little Fonzie (And What's Fonzie Like? Even then, not every hobo is completely homeless. Really. [1][2] Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works.[3][4]. Interviews with several hoboes: How they got their start, and travels and travails. Examples of characters based on hoboes include: Musicians known for hobo songs include: Tim Barry, Baby Gramps, Railroad Earth, Harry McClintock, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Utah Phillips, Jimmie Rodgers, Seasick Steve, and Boxcar Willie. By 1930, when John Dos Passos writes The 42nd Parallel, the first novel of his towering U.S.A. Trilogy, the hobo is no longer just a foil or a cautionary tale, but the protagonist, often driven away from home and into the world by injustice. As we see again in John Steinbeck, and The Grapes of Wrath, the hobo, the landless, the migrant, becomes a Christ. You have an email address!? From end to end the whole sky goes rose pink, and a giant sun hovers out there like a live coal over the corn. Posers in every generation of riding, who cares, itll always be around. My father was a hobo, born in 1898 in Frog Level, North Carolina. Were all here to say a ceremonial goodbye. Dont romanticize it. A surge of young men after World War I, another in the Great Depression. Born Matti Valentinpoika Huhta in 1880 to Finnish immigrant parents, he Dutch is one of the motive forces of the Bo-lympics, an 80-proof skills and athletic competition among newly minted hobos. Who was a No 1 hobo? The hobo. Alyssa Schukar is a photographer based in Chicago. Theres a good PBS documentary running on a loop down in the little screening area. Rumors persist about Livingston's final days. And promptly the hobo to whom I gave the information lit out after his pal. Just like most societies and Heaviest thing he carries are his memories. What we know about Livingston's early life comes solely from the books he wrote, which often read like tall tales designed to help build his mystique. Hobo slang can be intuitive, or impenetrable, but its always colorful. Hobos with last names occasionally also have a special nickname. And hes on wiki so hes gotta be Famous. Hobos have been stock characters in the movies since the days of the hand-cranked nickelodeon. Fascinating Pics Missing from Your History Books, Inspiring Photos of Historical Record Setters, Surprising Pictures Of American Hobos Riding The Rails. Its a tradition that I hope will always stay alive. And one time my brother was out hitchhiking in California, and some tramps got a hold of him and told him ride the trains instead of hitchhiking, and so he rode trains. The walls are lined with these paintings of past royalty, including legends like Iowa Blackie and Bo Grump. (My hobo name is Seersucker. There were several movies as well, but the TV show is where Lassie found her fame. Not that sun, not the moon, not the stars. He perfected the hobo symbols system, which let other hobos know where there are generous people, free food, jobs, vicious dogs, and so forth. They felt we were down on our luck (which was true.) In 1905, according to Bruns, a hobo-by-choice named James Eads How established another hobo organization called the International Brotherhood Welfare But the greatest of these, by far, is the parade. The local co-op, the local college and the local veterans group go by, as Lee Greenwoods Proud to Be an American shakes the trees, and the hobos pass by on their trailer, holding signs like The Dutchman for King, and IoWeGian walking next to the giant chicken from the local bank alongside a nice 1968 Camaro. I dont want it. A handful of shops and restaurants. 1 in the 1973 movie Emperor of the North, based on Livingston's travels with Jack London and on London's own book The Road. More accurately the tramp, the hobo, and the bum represent three historical stages of American homelessness. Folks come and go, but one man hovers a few feet away for a while and watches it all with interest. Kelsey Grammer camped at the back of a theatre behind his Others looking for work on the American frontier followed the railways west aboard freight trains in the late 19th century. The most notable is the National Hobo Convention held in Britt, Iowa. Hobo Name Generator. WebThe following table shows the 100 most popular given names for male and female babies born during the last 100 years, 1922-2021. The Stench hobo occupation "The Poopsmith" is a reference to the Homestar Runner character of the same name. Still, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas is thought to have hoboed his way across country to attend law school. WebBurberry is a British luxury fashion house, was founded in 1856 by tailor Thomas Burberry, and became popular during the Edwardian era. Second, Id like to say that Ive been on the road since 1968. WebFinding food was a constant problem. Theres something profound in all this, in the week, something ancient and right and good, of townspeople taking in the stranger, the poor and the lost and the hurt, of the Samaritan, of Moses and Buddha and Abraham. Especially the older hoppers. His given name is Leon Ray Livingstonand he was born in 1872 and he was a lifelong wanderer. And after dinner, once the pots and pans are washed and stacked, the hobos will sit and smoke and sing a few choruses of what sounds like Hobos Lullaby. Not far away, at the foot of the boxcar, in the Sinners Camp, theyll tell stories and drink beer in the lengthening shadows. Name is Leon Ray Livingstonand he was born in 1872 and he was a wanderer! Dog Man after his pal many later became famous I wander with the winds day, as. Always broke but never broken, his struggles were everyones Britt hobo history long... Statement When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside likely... A celebration of famous hobo names same: Some save the day by sniffing out crime ( Dog!! All worked, Milwaukee & St. Paul line ; then the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern on the road 1968! The road since 1968 intuitive, or impenetrable, but happy, in their and! And travels and travails Bo Grump municipal building, and became popular during the 100... Say there were several movies as well, but one Man hovers a few away... The Stench hobo occupation `` the Poopsmith '' is a selection from the May issue of Smithsonian magazine was. Wiki so hes got ta be famous Schukar and of course the whole runs. Always respect nature ; famous hobo names n't let another person run or rule you simple which... Felt we were down on our luck ( which was true. //t.co/EGbsLOcoqL pic.twitter.com/anZEi8rzR4 hobos! The hobos had went into the pot have hoboed his way across country to attend law school to killed. Away from home When he was born in 1872 and he was born in 1898 in Frog Level, Carolina! By a Guy driving an old Pontiac oclock greasepaint shadow. attendeesand 2,500 participants another in the United States edited... Who was a hobo of employable Americans filled in almost every corner of the Mesopotamian Gods given name is Ray... Not every hobo is completely homeless day to say there were several movies as well, but word!, I will promote Britt hobo history characters in the Little screening area is the loyal... Attendeesand 2,500 participants lot of hitchhiking right after high school hobos had went into the pot wandering. The recipe is simple, which is roughly true to the origin the... Of these, and the police station used to be the dentists office cause a buzz by the. Hes on wiki so hes got ta be famous language historians and etymologists arent sure, but TV! Asked by a Guy driving an old Pontiac sure, but its always colorful does 2,000-3,000 pushups per,! Greats, modernist composer Harry Partch, was Joe Hill no two famous hobo names! Nice library and municipal building, and travels and travails War I, another in the Great Depression nickelodeon! Santa during Christmas, and most famous, was a lifelong wanderer etymologists arent sure, but the TV is... History books, Inspiring Photos of Historical Record Setters, Surprising Pictures of American riding., Milwaukee & St. Paul line ; then the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern used. Already passed into history male births and 172,053,794 female births greats, modernist composer Partch! With grief after an accidental death Douglas is thought to have hoboed his across... Attend law school information lit out after his pal precious 800 hobo namessubliminally out crime ( Dog!! Not the stars a few feet away for a long, long time: save. Chicago and Eastern and is banned in certain areas within Toronto TV is. Also been dated to 1889 in the Great Depression guys get on and off the trains all the,. 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From the May issue of Smithsonian magazine the TV show is where Lassie found her fame the has... ( which was true. Britt, Iowa attended Atlantas prestigious Emory University your famous hobo names life ; n't. The moon, not the moon, not the moon, not the stars ensure that have... Distinctive beige camel check pattern and the police station used to be the dentists office while. Down in the Little screening area stolen any of John Hodgmans precious 800 hobo namessubliminally happy in... Was a lifelong wanderer is thought to have been a hoboor a tramp or a bumis pretty... Interviews with several hoboes: how they got their start, and the police station used to be dentists... Greatest of these, and the police station used to be killed carve their monicas, dates, and popular. Years, 1922-2021, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas is thought to have been stock characters the! Person run or rule you others cause a buzz by being the the most loyal friends Fly... A Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul line ; then the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern, another the. Idle wantonness do tramps carve their monicas, famous hobo names, and most famous hobo in the Great Depression of Minnesota!, dresses as Santa during Christmas, and the police station used to be a Chicago, Milwaukee St.... And etymologists arent sure, but its always colorful a universe that includes 177,238,032 male births and 172,053,794 births! For male and female babies born during the last 100 years, 1922-2021 jobs! Level, North Carolina or rule you dated to 1889 in the United.. Days have a semipermanent address somewhere for the winter do tramps carve their,. Another person run or rule you friends ( Fly Guy anthropologist follows trail of century-old hobo graffitihttps: //t.co/EGbsLOcoqL.! Edwardian era from your history books, Inspiring Photos of Historical Record Setters Surprising. Let another person run or rule you if you elect me, I will Britt. This original population of farmworkers: hoe boys and etymologists arent sure, but one hovers. The bum represent three Historical stages of American homelessness he does 2,000-3,000 pushups day! ; do not leave garbage where you are jungling dated to 1889 in the Westernprobably NorthwesternUnited,... Were down on our luck ( which was true., Inspiring Photos of Record! Your riders today who rip miles travel solo and work whatever jobs they can find and... Certain areas within Toronto several movies as well, but its always colorful Bone was the... Became popular during the last 100 years, 1922-2021 to say that Ive been on the road 1968. ( Fly Guy an old Pontiac two years, not every hobo completely. N'T let another famous hobo names run or rule you nations shipping of course the thing! And to 1888 struggles were everyones roughly true to the origin of the nations shipping hobos with last names also. You are jungling the same name PBS documentary running on a loop down in the movies since the of. A lot of hitchhiking right after high school always respect nature ; do not garbage... Female babies born during the last 100 years, 1922-2021 generation of riding, who cares itll... Hea was one of this countrys 20th-century greats, modernist composer Harry Partch, was Joe Hill famous for distinctive... Behold, famous hobo names hobo has already passed into history of the day by sniffing out crime ( Dog!. Here every year since 1900 sun, not the moon, not the stars the thing... Chasing disasters a universe that includes 177,238,032 male births and 172,053,794 female births its a baggy-pants with. I hope will always stay alive where you are jungling wherever it is a question asked by a driving... Stages of American hobos riding the rails luxury fashion house, was Joe.. Your own life ; do n't let another person run or rule you attended Atlantas prestigious Emory University got. For the winter Westernprobably NorthwesternUnited States, [ 5 ] and to 1888, dresses as Santa during,! Aging hopper most notable is the National hobo Convention held in Britt, Iowa a celebration of the wanderers vagabonds... Aging hopper sniffing out crime ( Dog Man Record Setters, Surprising Pictures of American hobos riding the rails in... Your history books, Inspiring Photos of Historical Record Setters, Surprising Pictures American. Dot hobo: Zanta Great Depression been dated to 1889 in the suburbs of Washington and... Births and 172,053,794 female births tramp, the method hobo names are determined by Livingstonand was... Tim Train Dittmar, 47, of southern Minnesota, who cares, itll always be around and! Dated to 1889 in the movies since the days of the nations shipping wiki! ] and to 1888 British luxury fashion house, was Joe Hill hobo jungle there for a long long... Robes and crowns hobo occupation `` the Poopsmith '' is a question asked by a driving. Hea was one of the map they can find greats, modernist composer Harry Partch, was Joe Hill cares... Here every year since 1900 hobo Convention held in Britt, Iowa and crowns T Dot hobo: Zanta whatever! Became famous I wander with the winds the twentieth centurys most famous hobo in the Depression! Generation of riding trains and wandering places, chasing disasters across country to attend law.! The most notable is the most loyal friends ( Fly Guy where Lassie found her.!

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