 | Rev. Bill Shook has been with Prairie Homestead Retirement Center for 27 years. 26 of those years he has acted as the Administrator. He retired in March 2006 but is still involved with the organization in a consultant role. Over the 27 years of service he developed the retirement community into a continuing care facility. As a continuing care facility retirees can come in at any level of independence and live out their lives on the campus. Rev. Shook holds many degrees, has served in numerous advisory positions and is licensed as a Nursing Home Administrator. He helped start and acted as the Administrator of Homestead Health Center nursing facility for a number of years along with being the Administrator of Prairie Homestead. Rev. Shook can be reached at the Prairie Homestead office, 316-263-8264 or by email at abei@websurf.net |
Senior Living
2007-05-01 13:27:00
Remembering the 20’s, 30’s & 40’s
Answer: Great idea. For many of us, the time when we were kids and growing up hold some of our fondest memories. I will try and present a few of them I have found on the Internet for your reading pleasure over the coming months.
Here’s a memory out of left field. Do you remember the tramps and hobos? From the 1880’s to the 1930’s, tramps were a familiar sight along the backroads and railroads of America. Some were men who felt the pull of the open road...they were always looking for that elusive “something” that lay just over the next hill. Others were simply down on their luck, looking for a better opportunity and a place to call “home.”
Hobos rode the rails: they hopped freight trains and stowed away in boxcars, hoping that the “railroad bulls” and “yard bulls” wouldn’t find them and throw them off.
Near railroad yards, hobos congregated in hobo jungles, where they boiled coffee in the shadow of a water tank and cooked up “mulligan” stews. Sometimes they stole chickens and were jailed. They begged for meals at the back doors of homes, and spent cold winter nights at relief shelters.
Hobos communicated with each other by leaving markings on fences and gateposts. A simple drawing was enough to tell a hobo about the inhabitants of a house and what type of hospitality he could expect (or not expect) there.
There had always been teenage hobos, but their numbers increased dramatically during the early 30’s. Known as “roving boys” and “boxcar boys” (and “boxcar girls”), their reasons for leaving home were as different as they were: some sought adventure, some were looking for work, while others were fleeing broken homes, orphanages and reform schools. For them, life on the road was dangerous....in addition to the usual perils, they were easy targets for criminals and sex-offenders.
Some hobos were women, who frequently dressed like men. Life on the road was no picnic....each year, thousands of hobos were killed or injured while hopping moving trains. They often went for days without eating, and were prone to catching pneumonia.
During the early 30’s, the number of hobos increased, thanks to the Depression. Misery knows no prejudice: black and white hobos were often seen traveling together.
Many tramps repaid homeowners for their hospitality by giving gifts of their own handiwork. They made functional and decorative objects that became known as tramp art, and these objects have since attained the status of classic American folk art.
Here are some hobo terms:
bindle stiff - hobo who carries
his belongings in a rolled-up bundle, catch out - to hop an outbound train
reefer - refrigerator car
gaycat - novice hobo
dingbat - experienced hobo
riding the rods - lying in the undercarriage of a boxcar near the wheels
mulligan stew - a stew made out of anything that was edible
(Source:http://www.angelfire.com/retro/lisawebworld/30slifestyle.html)
More memories next month...
