I wasn't even sure "hobo" was a politically correct term when I received a press release about a Hobo Fest this weekend in Pullman.
"Can I call people hobos?" I asked my co-workers. After much debate and some research, I learned about the big role the hobo played in the history of the railroad. And that many people are quite proud to call themselves modern day hobos.
I e-mailed Tom Shepherd, the coordinator of the upcoming fest, and he sent me some information on the significance of the event and the hobos it celebrates. Here's what he had to say:
"The Pullman angle is one of those urban legend mystery stories. How and why far-south side Chicago's Pullman neighborhood began to be a gathering place for the modern-day hobos is open to conjecture. But here is the best reason that most can come up with. Many years ago, the adjacent neighborhood - commonly known as Kensington - was home to numerous bars and honkey-tonks since the town of Pullman did not allow liquor to be sold to the common, worker residents.
Kensington was across the tracks from Pullman divided by the busy Illinois Central Railroad, and was also criss-crossed by a number of other railroad lines. It earned a reputation as a place to find an easy drink, a cheap meal and a place to lay one's head for a meager price. Those that couldn't afford the flophouses and boarding rooms would merely hang out in the camps, or 'hobo jungles' that cropped up."
He said that during hard times in the late 1800s and again during the depression, wanderers rode the rails seeking work or a chance to fulfill their dreams.
"Kensington was a ready-made hopping on/off point for wanderers from east, west, north and south. Pullman was known throughout the country during this period as a burgeoning industrial mecca, employing thousands. Lucky and willing tradesmen might find a spot in the railroad car plants."
Kensington was later known as "Bumtown."
"It might have been a combination of these circumstances that began to draw the attention of the modern day hobo descendants - both those still hopping trains and many more today with campers and small RVs," Shepherd wrote.
"The neighbors in Pullman opened their hearts to an odd gathering of visitors who, through their own networks, began to announce that they'd be congregating in Pullman at a given time, usually on the way to other hobo gatherings. The hobos who came brought with them their talents for song, crafts, storytelling and poetry of the lost culture of the hobo rail riders. The word spread that there was a welcome mat in Pullman for their visit."
He wrote that eventually the idea for the Hobo Concert at the historic Greenstone Church became a reality, and with the boom of the Internet, a formal festival sprung up.
The last announced fest was held in 2001.
Shepherd says added features this year will include accommodating camping at the Illinois State Site, behind the old landmark Pullman factory/clock tower building, and a barn dance.
"Chicago's Largest Mulligan Stew" will be started up by locals and slow cooked with recipe help from the visiting hobos, and will be provided at no charge to all.
For all the details on Hobo Fest, visit http://hobofest.southchicago.info.
The opinions are solely those of the writer. She can be reached at jpallay@nwitimes.com.
