HOBOES AND SWAGMEN

[Templar]

OVER THE YEARS I HAVE BEEN COLLECTING HOBO NICKELS WHICH LEAD ME TO COLLECT ANYTHING RELATED TO HOBOES AND THEN I LEARNED ABOUT SWAGMEN...........I JUST RECEIVED SOME HOBO POSTCARDS I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU AND I WAS WONDERING ARE THERE ANY POSTCARDS WITH SWAGMEN ON THEM??

    VERY CURIOUS---------YOUR SERVANT.........WALTZING MATEMPLAR

[Templar]

HERE IS A SECOND ONE

[Templar]

A THIRD ONE

[Templar]

AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES THAT I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU BEFORE

[Sap]

I WAS WONDERING ARE THERE ANY POSTCARDS WITH SWAGMEN ON THEM???

Plenty. There's old postcards, like this one from 100 years ago. And more modern ones, like this one on eBay that still somehow manage to get the origins of "swagman" and "hobo" mixed up - swagmen were around way back in the 1800s when Banjo Paterson wrote "Waltzing Matilda".

[Templar]

THE FIRST WAVE OF MEN CALLED HOBOES BEGAN RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR............MANY MEN HAD NO HOMES TO RETURN TO SO THEY RODE THE RAILS............IT KINDA FOLLOWED VARIOUS DEPRESSIONS AND WARS..........1920 TO 1940 WAS PROBABLY THE MORE FAMOUS ERA FOR LIFE ON THE ROADS....THEN  TRAINS GOT FASTER....THE LOCAL POLICE GOT TOUGHER AND IN THE SOUTH IF YOU WERE CAUGHT WITHOUT MEANS OF SUPPORT---YOU WERE LABELED A VAGRANT AND GIVEN A SENTENCE TO WORK ON THE CHAIN GANGS BUILDING ROADS AND OTHER PUBLIC WORKS........TOUGH WAY TO SEE THE COUNTRY

 YOUR SERVANT.....THE TEMPLAR

[Humpybong]

Very interesting...you learn something new everyday.

Thanks templar

[TwoShadows]

I'll bet they played the devil with the Census Bureau back then didn't they. Interestingly enough many of them were hobo's because thats the life they wanted. In many ways I still envy those who lived the life they wanted and resisted societies efforts to tame them. Not so sure they weren't smarter than most folks? No taxes, no mortgages, no debt unless it was to one another? I can recall, having lived along a railroad my first twenty one years of life, a few knocking on the door for something to eat. Many a folk back then would ablige them, some for stories and others just to get them moving on, but one thing I do miss is the fact folks were not afraid to open their doors as most were not locked any how!

[Templar]

MOST OF THE RAILROADS DON'T RUN THROUGH THE TOWNS AND AREAS THEY USED TO AND MOST PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GO TO THEIR DOOR FOR A SOLITOR..........MANY CITIES POST NO DOOR TO DOOR SELLING OR ANYTHING..........ITS ANOTHER PART OF OUR LIFE THAT HAS GONE BY THE WAYSIDE..........AT LEAST WE LIVED WHEN THEY DID............

 YOUR SERVANT AND FRIEND.........THE TEMPLAR

[TwoShadows]

A great number of things have changed and I must agree it is worthwhile that we got to experience so much. Technology is keeping our children and their minds locked away from the real world as they become more addicted to their toys. Years ago there were children outside playing every kind of game imaginable. I grew up in a small community (village) where it took every kid from 8 to 18 to field two ball teams. Hour after hour they played well together but that is not so today. I am thankful my little guy has my gene to explore the outdoors world. He can't get enough bugs and wildlife. Always looking and always learning! Now if I can just keep him that way!

[Goose]

Terry, you're absolutely right about getting kids involved. Many snows ago, our family lived in the Chicagoland area. I thought that it wouldn't be right to raise kids ( in this area. I sent resumes to several states and a company in Minnesota answered and I was hired. Needless to say, all of my kids were involved in sports and now all of their kids are involved in sports. As Stan Musial (sp-?), St Louis Cardinals said, "It's better to teach your kids how to steal 2nd base than have your kids steal hubcaps." I'll never forget that comment!
(We moved from an area of 5 million people to an area of 50K.....1/1000th of the previous population.)

[TwoShadows]

Hubcaps won't do any more! They want the mag wheels or the whole car!