Following the Civil War In America, train hopping became a common means of transportation as railroads pushed west. For years trains were hopped out of necessity, especially in times of economic hardship such as the Great Depression.
From this, groups of migrant workers that made a living hopping boxcars and picking up work where they could and earned the name “hobos.”
Danger, excitement and adventure soon brought a romance to the idea of train hopping hobos, attracting writers such as Jack Kerouac, Jack London and Ernest Hemmingway.
The title of this essay is taken from the song “King of the Road” by Roger Miller and tells the story of a poor man living life to the fullest humorously calling himself the “king of the road.” While train hopping is not as common anymore, it remains symbolic of our sense of adventure, our imagination, the open road and the adventures of life ahead.
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