Place

The Journey Begins: A Hobo Tour Intro

A black and white photo of a man sitting in a boxcar, layered on a background photo of train

At the age of 19 Carl Sandburg was a restless young man, anxious to find himself and to see the country. Prior to  his Hobo adventure Sandburg had only traveled as far as  Chicago. He was drawn to head west to Kansas, in time for the wheat harvest, where there would surely be work. Along the way, he would stop to find odd jobs to fund his travels and to keep food in his belly. Sandburg left his friends and family in Galesburg Ill on the last week of June in 1897, he returned to his hometown on October 15th of that same year.  In reference to his hobo travels, Sandburg wrote, I was meeting fellow traveler's and fellow Americans and  what they were doing to my heart and mind, my personality; I could not say then nor later and be certain. I was getting a deeper self-respect than I had in Galesburg, so much I knew. I was getting to be a better storyteller! Quotes used in this tour are Sandburg's own from "Always the Young Stranger". Maps are provided by Library of Congress. 
 

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Last updated: May 12, 2021