Tramps and hobos are commonly lumped together, but in their own sight they are sharply differentiated. A hobo or bo is simply a migratory laborer; he may take some longish holidays, …

Aug 7, 2025 · Hobos often formed informal communities known as “hobo jungles” near railroad tracks, typically on the outskirts of towns. These jungles served as gathering places for rest, …

A hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagabond. The term originated in the United States around 1890. Hobos, unlike ‘tramps’ or ‘bums,’ are traveling workers. The etymology of the …

Sep 16, 2025 · As many as 250,000 teenagers became hobos during the Great Depression. Hardship on the rails was not confined to solitary men. Women and children increasingly …

Hobos came and went on the huge historic construction and infrastructure projects of the American West, and ridership rose and fell with the national economy.

Aug 4, 2021 · But the history of hobos began decades earlier. Though not called hobos, but frequently referred to merely as tramps, men had long been traveling around picking up work. …

Jun 7, 2025 · Explore the fascinating history of hobos, the wandering travelers who shaped American culture through their way of life.

Jul 2, 2025 · The distinctions between hobos, tramps, and bums were not merely semantic—they reflected real social hierarchies, both among the transient poor themselves and in the eyes of …

Feb 22, 2025 · Etymologically, hobo might come from “homeward-bound boys”, American civil war soldiers trying to get home or to find odd jobs on which to build a new life after the fighting …

Hobo functions as a neutral or positive self-descriptor. In general use, it is sometimes used disparagingly, but in some contexts the term has carried positive connotations from its …