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Podcast: Tales of Southwest Michigan's Past
Episode: The Story of a Hobo
Description: A hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagrant. Â The term originated in the U.S. around 1890. Â Unlike a 'tramp', who works only when forced to, or a 'bum', who does not work at all, a "hobo" is a traveling worker. Â The number of hobos increased during the Great Depression era of the 1930's. Â With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to travel the freight trains in pursuit of work in other parts of the country. Â
The story "The Exploits of Henri, a Hobo" presented in this episode was written by Rich Rybicki from the E...