Summary: After the Civil War, many men headed west in search of work. Many carried a hoe with them. These “hoe boys” eventually became known as “hobos.” Hobos were not “bums” or “tramps”; they were men seeking work wherever they could find it. They lived out of doors in camps known as “jungles.” The dangers of travel by hopping trains crippled many. The outbreak of World War II brought enrollment in the armed forces to some hoboes and regular employment to others. Today the hobo’s life on the road has entered the realm of national myth. Horace Hampton, a former Depression-era hobo, recounts his experiences of life on the road. W. P. Scott, retired University of Georgia professor also comments
