MS Mo 376 Jim Kelly - Hobos During the Great Depression - a podcast by USM Center for Oral History

With no work and no prospects at home, many men decided to travel for free by freight train looking for work during the Great Depression. Jim Kelly was a railroad telegraph operator in the 1930s. He recalls the large number of migratory workers or hobos that passed through English Lookout.

Hobos were always looking for their next meal. Kelly remembers how one made off with a prized watermelon.

Life on the road was especially tough during the winter.  Kelly explains how he used to help the hobos when the temperatures dropped.

 

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