I explored the question: Does the Hobo Convention still exist, and what is its purpose?
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| Hobo King and Queen annual Hobo Convention, Britt, Iowa |
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| Steam Train in one of the last pictures before he passed away in 2006. |
Links about hobo culture and Steam Train
http://www.vice.com/read/
The question I chose to answer is about signing/pictographs being used in other cultures. The first thing that came to mind is Egyptians using hieroglyphs to express events and also as a form of art on may pieces of pottery. As a more modern example of pictographs is something most people use in their every day life, emojis. An emoji is a small image sent over a text or internet to express an emotion or idea.(Paraphrasing Google definition) What other pictographs can you think of and possibly how they have impacted cultures through out history?
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a pictograph could be a family crest. People would have their family's crest on everything that was important to them too show others where they came from and their social standing. I wonder if there are still familys in modern times that use their crest in the same manner or if they have found new meanings for these symbols.
DeleteThis is very interesting how you were able to think of emoji's even though I use them I wouldn't think of putting those two together.
DeleteThe question I asked about Moreese Bickham was how long did he live after he was released from prison. Moreese ended up living to be 98 years old before he passed, and with the 37 years of incarceration he was in prison for over a third of his life, the first third being 32 years before he was arrested and the second third being 29 years from his release date to the year that he passed.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think that he had to spend most of his life in prison. I think it is great that he lived as long as he did after prison because of how long he was in there. I had this same question along with other questions such as what he did after prison? and if was a able to take care of himself by getting a job?
DeleteThis is really interesting. I actually wondered the same thing, how long he lived after he was released. That's nice that he had a while to live after being released, since he had so much hope while he was in prison.
DeleteThat question ran through my head as well. It says he went to live with his family but I was wondering how hard it must have been for him after he was released. I wondered if people thought of him differently or if society knew who he was.It would be interesting to learn more of his struggles as well.
DeleteI explored in Bickman's story, how often is a life sentence fully served?
ReplyDeleteThe answer I got was the total life sentence population in the US is about 141,000 people. Today, the death penalty is entangled in highly complex web of rules and procedures.
That's actually a really cool question that I've never even thought of. It's insane that there is that many people to serve a life sentence. Way more than I would have even guessed.
DeleteThe research question I researched was, is Robert Shield's diary the longest in the world? and if so are there any others that come close? The answer is yes, it certainly is the longest diary, and the next longest diary I could find was a British man who had written not even a fourth as many words, meaning Shields will have the title for world's longest diary for a long time. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2387793/Dear-diary--Man-83-shows-Britains-biggest-personal-journal-hes-writing-66-years-times-size-War-Peace.html)
ReplyDeleteShield's huge diary is ridiculously long and it seems like it would be really boring to read. He is very precise when he writes in his diary down to the minute. It is interesting to know when it became an obsession in his life and what possible motives he has for writing it.
DeleteI think even in the book one of the men who interviewed him said his diary was the longest as well but time has past. I would have thought by now someone would have written more.
DeleteWhat about Miles Mahan's story was real and what was imagination?
ReplyDeleteMy question was based around Miles Mahan's story. I wanted to figure out how much of his tale about the museum was true, and how much of his story was imagination based. Mahan's "girlfriend" who was forty-two years old, was actually the hula girl he found on the side of the road. The museum portion was art that had been created by Mahan from junk he found throughout the area. At one time, there had actually been a miniature golf course there and area where people could dance by the hula girl. He also lived at the Museum in an old camper. It appears that most of the things he spoke about were true, just that of a different time.
Perhaps since he was telling the truth about things that were there but at a different time maybe he was suffering from some kind of mental disorder that made him believe all that stuff was still there?
DeleteHis profile interested me too because I had no idea what was made up and what wasn't. Its kind of sad that he was basically living in another life where is girlfriend was a cut out of a woman. But, it is nice to know what was chronicled in the profile was mainly true, just not present.
Deletereally cool expansion on his story. He was already an interesting man and it's cool to know that Hula Ville actually used to be as great as he made it out to be.
DeleteI wondered if there was any type of involvement between shields and his wife for his diary. I found that she didn't become involved with the diary until he was physically unable to continue writing it. He had her right down everything he wanted to be in the diary. Although, her writing every single word down he told her too was short lived, and she quit shortly after continuing. Making the diary, I assume, unfinished.
ReplyDeleteI wondered what happened to the diary when he died. I also wondered if there was any tension between Shields and his family over his obsession. It sound like there may have been; his wife did not seem to keen on it.
DeleteI would love to know in depth what the wife's opinion of the diary truly is. Obviously she cared enough about her husband to write in it for him, but it seems as though it wasn't necessarily something she wanted top continue.
DeleteThis is very interesting and i had not thought about that. I know that if i was his wife he would have to write it all himself because i have other things to be doing. I do think though it was nice of her to have wrote everything for him for a little bit. I would like to know how long the diary went on and if someone still has it today.
DeleteI never thought about what happened to the diary after the story. I could not imagine how his wife felt having to attempt to keep Shield's obsession perfect. There must have been some deep love there to do that because I would've quit before it was started.
DeleteMy question was from the Blackgoat profile. I wanted to know if the Big Mountain Resistance Movement-made up mainly of elderly Navajo women to defend their land- still existed, or what had happened with the movement in recent years. I found an interesting webpage that talked about a training camp that was taking place in May of 2014 to honor, expand, and teach people about the movement.
ReplyDeletehere's a quote:
"During this moment of peak visibility around climate change, we extend this invitation for a training camp on Big Mountain. We’ll gather to honor 40 years of Indigenous resistance to cultural genocide, forced relocation, and large-scale coal mining. 40 year resistance.
"
http://supportblackmesa.org/2014/03/big-mountain-spring-training-camp/
It is amazing to me that after all these years people are still going to get together at Big Mountain to honor the 40 years of indigenous resistance. I wonder what the land looks like now. Are there huts/homes, or are there any bigger buildings?
DeleteWhat happened to Shield's diary? Did it go to a museum?
ReplyDeleteI found that Shield gifted his diary to Washington State University only after the university agreed to not read or do a word count until 50 years later. The diary was gifted in 1999. As far as I could find out, the diary is still at Washington State University. I did find that Anchorage Museum in Anchorage, AK, has posted on their collections page that Robert M. Shields Collection "guide is coming soon".(https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/collections/archives/collections/)
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/us/29shields.html?_r=0)
Other facts: Shield had a second stroke, which made him unable to type his diary. Shield died at 89 years old in his home."What would it do to you if you just stopped? It would be like turning off my life."- Holding On, pg.30.
That's nice that Shield's diary went to a place where many people can read it and get to know who he was. He spent so much time working on it, and hopefully it can be beneficial somehow to those who read it.
DeleteThat is fascinating how he gifted his diary to Washington State University. I never would have thought he would have done that. I would have thought he kept it or passed it down to someone in his family. I like how the Washington State University was respectful of his wishes even after Shield died. The fact at the end was really interesting as well!
DeleteI find it interesting that he demanded that nobody read it since it would probably take months if not years to read the whole thing, and probably even longer to do a word count if they have to do it manually.
DeleteThat is pretty interesting that it was "gifted" with the stipulations. I wonder what the University plans on doing with the diary now. In fifty years they will be able to determine if the wait was worth it!
DeleteI think its fascinating that a university accepted a diary of just an average man. I wonder if , throughout the year, if they still remember the promise they made to not read it. I don't know how they would make it through the entire diary without wanting to quit. From the parts that were displayed in the profile, I would need a lot of motivation to read the entire thing. I also wonder if, in fifty years, scientists will use his nose hair to compare him to people in the future. I like how writing became his life up until he could no longer write. This shows extreme determination.
DeleteI think its fascinating that a university accepted a diary of just an average man. I wonder if , throughout the year, if they still remember the promise they made to not read it. I don't know how they would make it through the entire diary without wanting to quit. From the parts that were displayed in the profile, I would need a lot of motivation to read the entire thing. I also wonder if, in fifty years, scientists will use his nose hair to compare him to people in the future. I like how writing became his life up until he could no longer write. This shows extreme determination.
DeleteMy questions are from the Bickham Story. I notice that all the other inmates that Bickam served with in prision were all sentenced before the Civil Rights Act came into play. My question would be; Did all of them have a right to a fair jury trail or was the sentence already been made before hand? I also wonder if the jury was spilt half white and half African-American or of just one race. Cause that makes you wonder if there was bias in the outcome.
ReplyDeletehttps://aboriginalwriter.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/rip-moreese-bickham/
I think that it was an interesting question that you proposed. I would have thought that back before the Civil Rights Act was passed, that the discrimination against blacks would have still been terrible, therefore they would not have given Bickham the right to a fair jury. The court system probably would have made it so he got a longer sentencing as well.
DeleteWhen reading "Steam Train" Maury Graham, I wanted to know what role Lincoln had during this era. When the hobos would draw their signs, they would draw a picture of Lincoln's top hat if there was a good man living in the house. During this research I found out that many people just simply respected Lincoln because of all the great things he has accomplished in his life. He was well respected because slaves gained their freedom and everyone was treated more fairly. So therefore, there wasn't one main reason but simply all the little things that Lincoln has overcome in his life.
ReplyDeletehttp://millercenter.org/president/biography/lincoln-impact-and-legacy
I think its very impressive that Lincoln had such a high level of respect that he was used as a symbol for good men. It makes me wonder what other people or things in the US were used to describe specific acts and behaviors, whether it be positive or negative.
DeleteIt is great that Lincoln gained that great amount of respect from everyone. Lincoln most have been a role model to them. They possibly did not feel like they would be judged by him.
DeleteThats very interesting that it is purely out of respect rather than having an exact reason.
DeleteWhen I read Moreese Bickhams profile I really wanted to know why he kept getting passed on death row while he was in it. What I found is that there is no real reason why some get passed by while in death row. The website I found had on there the amount of days on average that went by each year between sentencing's and executions. The time line it gave did not go far enough back to when Bickham was. I would say that there was maybe 24 months in between the sentencing's and executions though when Bickham was on death row.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/time-death-row
I thought this was a really good question because I almost picked the same one! It's interesting that there is no real reason some people get away with it as long as they do. I personally think it has to somewhat do with who you are and how serious your crime was. I think it would be interesting to learn more about Bickham because overall it was a really interesting story.
DeleteI imagine that those 24 hours were really intense! He spent that day wondering if it would be his last, and I am just blown away by how stressful that would have been. There is a lot of controversy about the prison system, and this supports that somewhat. But, I'm sure he was thankful for every passing.
DeleteIt is very interesting that he kept getting passed on death row, I wonder if that was the case at all the prisons in that era.
DeleteMy question was , where is Roberta Blackgoat today, and are the Navajo still currently protesting leaving the land?
ReplyDeleteI found out Roberta Blackgoat died in 2002. I found an interesting quote about her that I think really relates to what we have been talking about in class.It is "Through the hardships of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute, she always maintained her dignity and her gracious spirit." I thought this was great to share since we have been talking so much about dignity.
I also read that she started a petition in 2001 "for Congress to stop the federal relocation of Navajo people from HPL and Peabody Coal Company’s use of water from under Black Mesa to slurry coal from Black Mesa to a coal-fired generating station in Nevada."
I couldn't find evidence of the Navajo still occupying the lands, but I did read an article from 2015 stating that there were still some "Dineh" resisting to leave that area.
Originally, I wanted to find out more about Bickham's family. I learned that he died in April of this year, but could not get much information on his family.
ReplyDeleteThen, I moved on to find out what became of the prison. It still takes in prisoners, but the crazy part is that they have a museum running in it also. They have tours and plan to expand the tourist aspect of it even more.
http://www.angolamuseum.org/
It is intriguing that they also run a museum in a prison. Usually you think of a prison as where convicted criminals go but it can also be an educational trip by going to the museum. I wonder what they use the profits of the museum for. Maybe it goes to the state or maybe it is put back into the prison.
DeleteI also wanted to learn more about Bickham and his life after prison, and came upon his death in April as well. But that's really interesting that you found that there is a museum in the prison. I might have to look into that!
DeleteAt first I was surprised that the prison was also a functioning museum, but as I think about it seems somewhat normal. Prisons change and develop their own reputation over time, so instead of ignoring the history of this well known place, why not take a deeper look? Also, using the prison as a museum can bring tourists a greater perspective on what this prison is known for.
DeleteWhy did Roberta Blackgoat stay and fight the relocation orders from the government as opposed to progressing with society and modernize?
ReplyDeleteFor years, she struggled with relocation that the government was imposing on the natives. She was apart of the resistance movement within the Navajos. The government still tried to compromise and relocate the Navajos even though they continued to put up a fight. I found Roberta interesting as she continued to fight based on that she was connected to the land. She did not want to leave the land she knew and the land that she had grown up on. She felt a connection and she felt she needed to preserve it for the future generations of the Navajos. She did not want the Navajos to conform to the problematic society just outside the property.
http://www.angelfire.com/art/hoganview/categ99.html
When did the railroad stop letting people ride the rails?
ReplyDeleteHobos using the railroad as a way of transportation was much more common during the Great Depression years. The U.S. Is the most common place in the world for riding the rails. There are strict laws to discourage people to not "train hop". There are high fees, up to 30 days in jail, etc., but each state is different. My dad is a locomotive engineer. He has frequent "riders". All the engineers just let them do their thing. The engineers don't tell on them, but they are riding at their own risk.
I did not know that "train hopping" still occurred today. However, I admire the confidentiality that most workers on trains have for the people that do such a dangerous task such as jumping from train to train in order to get from one place to another. I guess at the end of the day we all have to stick together, and if that means keeping a secret, then so be it.
DeleteVery interesting to read that. Funny enough, I just watched a video on youtube about a guy who was trying to ride trains like they used to- he got caught several times and was just given warnings. He quit for now, but said he was not done for good.
DeleteI tackled questions concerning the hobo jungle and their language and customs. I discovered that the first description of a hobo jungle was written in 1877 by Allan Pinkerton. His descriptions told of gathering places, small communities, where wondering men and women came together to cook, clean, and sleep in a relatively orderly fashion. Especially in permanent jungles, that is, jungles that stayed inhabited all the time, there could be found cooking utensils of all kinds and other homely goods. What struck me most is the communal rules and regulations that were in place. There are specific customs to living in the jungle, such as cleaning utensils and pans after using, not wasting food, and several others.
ReplyDeleteAs for the language of the hobos, I was blown away by how extensive it is. There are symbols for all sorts of communication. Certain signs tell others where amenities can be found like a bed for the night or a telephone; others warn of danger such as dogs or bad-tempered men. This sign system is constantly changing as well, just as all languages do.
For pictures and more information, I recommend these websites
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/White/hobo/thejungle.html
http://www.worldpath.net/~minstrel/hobosign.htm
Sam
DeleteWow that is very interesting about the hobo jungle. I never knew how strict the rules were. I guess they set these strict rules that way everyone contributed the same amount and not just being lazy or wasteful.
It really is amazing that the people that chose to live the hobo lifestyle could work together with a kind of organization that allows them to have their own kind of culture complete with language only known to other hobos.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy question was is there any modern media that talks about Moreese Bickhams release? I found a story from the New York Times that talks about his release, how it happened, who was enveloped, and a little bit of what he wanted to do now that he is out of prison after 37 years. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/11/us/after-37-years-in-prison-inmate-tastes-freedom.html
ReplyDeleteOn a different site I also found that he has recently passed away at the age of 98 this year in California. http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/04/moreese_bickham_killer_of_two.html
-What is the Angola Cemetery like now?
ReplyDeleteThe profile on Moreese Bickham had many areas that could be investigated. Personally, I was intrigued by the cemetery at Louisiana State Penitentiary, due to the fact that I had never considered what happened to inmates sentenced to life once they had passed away. The article I was able to find discussed the current statistics of the cemetery. For example, 97% of inmates at Angola will die while serving their sentences. Also, the unique burial process that the inmates provide for one of their own was quite interesting. Specifically, a horse-drawn carriage, built by inmates carries the body, as well as the inmates acting as the minister for the service. Another aspect that I found to be interesting was that the cemetery was once flooded, leading them to reburying all of the bodies. Finally, the last thing I found was that the available plots are almost at max capacity, and will fill up soon, due to the age of some of the inmates.
http://historichouston1836.com/the-unique-burial-practices-at-the-louisiana-state-penitentiary/
That's gross that the bodies were flooded so they had to rebury it! It also is interesting that the plots will be at max capacity soon, what will they do when they DO reach max capacity?
DeleteI thought it was interesting that 97% of the inmates at Angola will die there! I can't believe they still have room for all the burials. It is sad that the prisoners are buried there and forgotten about.
Delete-How many people suffer from Obsessive Compulsive disorder, how bad can it get, and is there any sort of treatment that can help them?
ReplyDeleteThe profile of Robert Shields sounded like he was suffering from Obsessive Compulsive disorder or OCD though it was never directly stated the signs were definitely there and he did say it was his obsession. After doing research on it I found that about 2.3% of the population suffers from OCD although most of the cases aren't this extreme it does affect the lives of the people suffering from it and even those around them. Apparently the best treatment for this disorder is called Exposure and Response Prevention or ERP as well as medication. ERP is a treatment that must be started with a professional that exposes people to their compulsion or trigger and then help them to not act on it.
That's really interesting! When I was reading this profile I also thought of OCD. One of my close friends has OCD pretty bad as well, and she whenever she has a bad day that is out of ordinary for her she has to write it down in her diary.
DeleteI thought his obsession was odd as well, but i never once thought there would be a medical reasoning about his compulsion. It's cool that you found something that could remedy the disorder he may or may not have had. It kind of makes you wonder if it would've worked if he would've been diagnosed and then treated.
DeleteThat's really interesting! When I was reading this profile I also thought of OCD. One of my close friends has OCD pretty bad as well, and she whenever she has a bad day that is out of ordinary for her she has to write it down in her diary.
DeleteWil
DeleteI never knew that the population had that high percentage of OCD in the Unite States. I think everyone has some sort OCD in them. This article reminds me of some family members I have who suffer from the lighter side of OCD. thank you for the information.
I researched more in to Miles Mahan and his "Hula Ville" attraction on the edge of the Mojave desert. We wanted to find out if the attraction is still open, and if so, how many people visit it. Upon further research, the story of Hula Ville and Miles Mahan is not a happy one. In 1995, Mahan had to leave his attacrtion to go to a nursing home where he would die two years later. Before Miles had left, his half acre was being encroached by civilization and slowly taking over his attraction. Hula Ville slowly began to become less and less until it was gone. But, they did save one item to put in the local museum, the large hula girl that was the centerpiece of it all.
ReplyDeleteit's sad to hear the Hula Ville closed and that Miles passed away, but I am glad to hear they kept the large hula girl at a local muesum.
DeleteShel, I was wondering the same thing when I read his story. I was definitely hoping it was still open. Very sad that it is not, but I guess it's still good that they saved the Hula Girt.
Delete-What was the base salary/wage for a Pullman Porter, not including tip?
ReplyDeleteAn article on the Pullman Porters explained that a beginning porter was given a wage of $77.50 per month but also explained hat before a porter had been with the company for 10 years, he had to pay for his uniform and whatever cost accompanied keeping said uniform presentable to the public. He also had to pay for his food while on the train and these factors dropped their monthly wage to just over $21 a month. The author did explain that after being with the company for 15 years their wage was increased by $11 a month. The tips these porters received compensated for their low wages.
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/PrimarySourcesDetailsPage/PrimarySourcesDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=PrimarySources&prodId=UHIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ2152000165&mode=view&userGroupName=k12_histrc&jsid=c8793347966b8bc9b5059e1d17c4b22b