Go West Files

Map of Sandburg's Hobo Travels
Hobo Journal
Hobo Jargon

Activity

Hobo Quiz
Follow-up: Hobo Journey

Hobo Days

I SHALL foot it
Down the roadway in the dusk,
Where shapes of hunger wander
And the fugitives of pain go by.
I shall foot it
In the silence of the morning,
See the night slur into dawn,
Hear the slow great winds arise
Where tall trees flank the way
and shoulder toward the sky...

Chicago Poems (1916)

In 1897 at age 20, Charlie (Carl) Sandburg set out on the road, rail and river for the West. For four months he traveled as a hobo, sneaking rides in empty railroad cars and working odd jobs for money and food. Study the Go West Files to the left, then challenge yourself with the ten-question Hobo Quiz for a clue to the Babbler's riddle!