Hobo symbols and meanings

Hobo signs were a system of symbols, marked on fences, trees, houses, etc. to give fellow “Knights of the Road” help and warnings.

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These are the marks that told travelers whether a town or house was friend or foe.

Chanta Darra Chuong here's the legend for drifter's code. Fun fact: safe camp (the symbol Circa and Take it Back! both claim) is derived from this.

Symbols and meanings

In the 1930s, hobos used signs to communicate on the situations of people and places.

Hobo Code Icon Set designed by Nathan Dillaha. Connect with them on Dribbble; the global community for designers and creative professionals.

Many of us now use the word hobo to refer to any homeless individual, but back in the America of the late 19th and early 20th century, to be a hobo meant something more.