Hobo Park, (sculpture).

Hobo Park, (sculpture).

Mortenson, Jo, sculptor.

F.A.S.T. Corporation, fabricator.

Hobo Park, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: painted fiberglass; Base: painted concrete.

Sculpture: approx. 8 ft. x 3 ft. 6 in. x 3 ft. 6 in.; Base: approx. 1 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft. x 4 ft.

(On plaque on base:) The Legend of Hobo Park/The 1930's brought to Starbuck both the depression and the/arrival of the hobos. Hundreds of men, young and old, "rode/the rails" into town. By day they sought work or food from local/residents. By night they gathered near this place, hopefully to be/refreshed by a welcome lake breeze, to cook a fish over an open/fire or to share conversation with fellow drifters./Although some were vagabonds, most were destitute people./Many had left home and family in search of jobs. They were/quiet, gentle people - down on their luck but not without hope./Those fortunate enough to find work stayed for days or even/weeks. Others just passed through. All eventually departed as/they had come, "hopping the freight."/They left behind them shorthand messages on telephone poles./Perhaps the chalk marks informed those who followed where they/were most likely to find work or food. In any case, the hobos/were befriended by many families./To the people of Starbuck, this wooded area became known as/Hobo Park. It is still respectfully called that today./Plaque Donated by the Starbuck Jaycees - 1988 unsigned

Full-length figure of a hobo stands on a green square base. The figure wears a brown hat, blue coat, black shirt, gray trousers and brown shoes. There is band securing the proper left shoe. A hole in the proper right shoe exposes a toe. The trousers have red and yellow patches on the front, and the clothing is generally rumpled and ill-fitting. There is a yellow flower his proper right coat lapel. The figure has a beard and smokes a cigar. His proper right hand is in his coat pocket and he holds a stick with his belongings tied on the end in a bandanna on his proper left shoulder.

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Beggar

Outdoor Sculpture -- Minnesota -- Starbuck

Coadministered by City of Starbuck, 407 Wollan Street, Starbuck, Minnesota 56381

Coadministered by Starbuck Chamber of Commerce, 401 Main Street, Starbuck, Minnesota 56381

Located Hobo Park, South Highway 29, Starbuck, Minnesota

The commemorative plaque was placed by the Starbuck Jaycees in 1988. During the 1930s, Starbuck was a frequent gathering place for travelers who left their families to search for work and other nomadic men. The Hobo figure is a logo for Hobo Park and Marina and it also appears on City stationary and other City materials. The sculpture was repainted and its cigar was replaced in 1995 by F. A. S. T. Corporation.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Minnesota survey, 1995.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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