Paying respects to hobo who ‘caught the westbound train’

The majority of those who came to see Union Pacific’s Engine 4014 in Owatonna last week came out of an interest in railroads or just curiosity. But for one group of them there was a more personal reason to make the trip to Owatonna.
For them, including Ricardo and Dante and Minneapolis Jewel and Cindy Lou, it was to pay their respects to Tuck, a fellow hobo, who had recently, in hobo terminology, “caught the westbound train.”
Tuck, who was married to Minneapolis Jewel, died June 20.
Minneapolis Jewel, who is herself a former Hobo Queen, said Tuck was twice given the title of Hobo King, at the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa in 2007 and 2017.
The others who came Owatonna were also former Hobo kings and queens and felt it an appropriate way to show their respect, she said.
Tuck’s newspaper obituary describes him as a hobo for 25 years and “an artist, craftsman, fisherman, railrider and husband, a great BS-er, loved by many for his witty repartee.”
As such, he and the others may defy the traditional idea of what a hobo is.
Hobos were the original migrant workers, Minneapolis Jewel explained. During the depression years, sometimes whole families would “ride the rails,” following the crops and looking for work. A true hobo was not a bum and was not lazy. They simply chose a different lifestyle.
They are a “lost part of Americana,” she said.
There are fewer hobos riding the rails now partly because of increased security on the trains. While some hobos may consider themselves homeless, it is by choice and most actually do have a place they call home and addresses and even a job. Many are also people who lived a hobo lifestyle at some point in their past but have now more or less settled down.
Minneapolis Jewel calls Minneapolis home and when asked where he lived Ricardo, who was Hobo King in 2016, said St. Peter.
Still, the hobos are a close-knit family that keep in touch with each other.
For the hobo community, she said, the “hobo family is more important than their real family.” Hobos are very accepting of all types of people.
They are also very helpful, she added. Her house is near the tracks, she said, and when those still riding come to town they stop for a place to spend the night and ask if there is any work she needs done.
The Hobo King and Queen are chosen each year at the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa. Minneapolis Jewel has been named queen five times. Dante was elected king in 2010 and Ricardo in 2016.  Cindy Lou was elected queen in 2014.
The women elected as queen have not necessarily ridden the rails as much as the men, she said. Still, “I have ridden a few miles,” she said.
This year’s National Hobo Convention is scheduled for Aug. 8-11 in Britt.
While the Hobo Convention and Hobo Days are a community festival organized by a committee and authentic hobos are far outnumbered by non-hobos in attendance, Minneapolis Jewel, Cindy Lou, Dante and Ricardo will all be there as Tuck’s ashes will be buried at the Hobo cemetery.