Hobo Signs

In a predictably casual way, the loosely held fraternity of the road looked after its own. One of the most engaging examples of this was the hobo custom of chalking crude symbols on barns, fence posts, and water tanks so that the boes who came after could tell at a glance what sort of reception they could expect. The samples here represent a few of the dozens of hieroglyphs that indicated to the hobo whether he was more likely to receive a sandwich or a gust of bird shot when he hit town.