Published in the Citizen Herald July 30, 2008
By Deb Holt
“Now comes the time for us to remember our family that has caught the Westbound. For everyone dies. Not everyone truly lives like these have! And people die only when you forget them!”
These are some of the words that family, friends and loved ones of Benita Sankey, “Slo Freight Ben” will hear at the annual Hobo Convention this year.
The event takes place in Britt, Iowa, August 7-9.
Benita passed away in September of 2007, at the home of her daughter, Carole Van Brocklin.
She held several titles among the hobo family, including Grand Duchess, National Hobo Queen (3 times), Keeper of the Unknown Hobo Grave, Queen Mum and Hobo Queen for Life.
It’s no wonder that she will be the topic of several tributes at the National Hobo Convention this year.
The story of how she became “hobo royalty” began when Benita was just 11 years old. A hobo was run over by a train in Benita’s hometown of Lamont, IA. No one knew who he was, and they were not able to identify him. He was buried in the southwest corner of the cemetery in Lamont. Benita took it upon herself to take care of that grave.
Now, fast forward to Benita when she was in her early sixties. She had become a private duty nurse for a woman named “Mrs. Hoffler.” Benita and Mrs. Hoffler amused themselves by going to county fairs and celebrations around Iowa in Benita’s car. Mrs. Hoffler had a cabin at Clear Lake. The two were invited to Hobo Days in Britt, which is just about 26 miles from Clear Lake. The two attended the Convention for a couple years together. After Mrs. Hoffler passed away, Benita went by herself, now attending for several days instead of just the weekend part of the celebration.
For some reason, Benita loved the Hobo Convention.
“I think Mom appreciated her hobo family because she felt their unconditional acceptance,” said Van Brocklin. “They genuinely care for people and are interested in your story.”
Van Brocklin went on to explain that the hobos have a strong love for God and country, they don’t need lots of stuff around them. They don’t value material things, and have a wander lust. They are ready to pick up and go.
They take care of themselves and look out for one another.
According to Van Brocklin, in the beginning, she had a hard time dealing with her mother’s newfound friends. She said the “hobos” did not fit into her perception of who she was as a wife and mother.
“You know how when you’re young you put on a front of who you are,” Van Brocklin explained. “Sometimes I was embarrassed by her. Sometimes the kids were embarrassed by Grandma, again.
“It wasn’t until I was older I could appreciate that it was the individual that mattered, that other people mattered to each other,” she continued. “Mom got it that it’s what’s on the inside that matters.”
A turning point for Van Brocklin came when she had to take Benita’s car away from her when she was 79 years old. Benita, now given a hobo name -- Slo Freight Ben -- and already once-dubbed Queen of the Hobos, wanted to go to the Hobo Convention but did not have a car to get there. A woman from the WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) had called on Benita one afternoon for whatever reason. She offered to give her a ride to the convention. The WCTU woman took her to Garner, where a man in a truck actually took Benita the rest of the way to Britt.
Slo Freight had taken only her bicycle, which folded in the middle. She had no place to stay (there is no motel/hotel in Britt), and had made no arrangements. She went to the Chamber of Commerce and they gave her a tent to pitch. There is also a side car at the Hobo Convention site, where the hobos sometimes sleep. Van Brocklin said she may have slept there one night. That year, it rained and rained during the Convention.
Slo Freight was declared Queen of the Hobos once again, this time because of her “guts.”
Van Brocklin got a call from the Chamber of Commerce after that. They told her “Slo Freight” could not come to Britt by herself again.
So it happened that in 1990, Van Brocklin began escorting her mother to the Hobo Convention each year. At first, they went for the Friday-Saturday celebration only. As the years progressed and Van Brocklin witnessed how loved Slo Freight was by her hobo friends, and how Slo Freight loved all of them, she made the Hobo Convention into a special mother-daughter time that they shared together. They began to attend the Thursday night lighting of the campfire, which is an impressive ceremony that includes lots of hobo history.
There is always a parade in Britt, during the Hobo Convention. One year, Van Brocklin pushed Slo Freight in a wheel chair for the entire parade route in 100° temperatures. The next couple years she rented a golf cart.
The last National Hobo Convention that Slo Freight attended was in 2007.
Being Queen of the Hobos brought Slo Freight a certain amount of stardom, not only in Iowa, but nationally as well.
She was a contestant on a game show in Los Angeles in the 1980s. It starred Burt Reynolds and Lonnie Anderson, along with Betty White and Charles Nelson Reilly. Burt Convy was the host. The program was called “The 3rd Degree.” It was similar to “I’ve Got A Secret” where the panel tries to guess why the person is unique. Slo Freight and the King of the Hobos were on the show. The stars never guessed their “royal” titles.
Also, at the parade in 2006, Slo Freight rode on the golf cart with Hobo Whittler, who is the subject of a documentary. The documentary crew was in a jeep behind them in the parade, and Hobo Whittler was “miked” for the entire ride. Slo Freight thought he was throwing out too much candy at a time. She told him it was a long parade and that he should take it easy.
Hobo Whittler died shortly after Slo Freight.
They were both 95, Slo Freight older by a few months.
Tributes
Van Brocklin has been invited to a Queens Garden Party on August 5 for a tribute to Slo Freight Ben. This event is by invitation only.
However, on Friday, August 8, at 9 AM sharp, there will be a Memorial Service at the Evergreen Cemetery in the Hobo Section, complete with Color Guard.
Around 11:15-11:30 AM, at the campfire in the Hobo Jungle, Slo Freight’s family will conduct a service with stories about her, and special songs will be sung for her. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend either of these memorial tributes.
Some of Slo Freight Ben’s belongings will be donated to the Hobo Museum in Britt during the convention, including her bike, saddle bags, cane and clothes. Slo Freight gave her dimes from winning bingo at her care center to the museum. Anyone who would like to make a donation to the Hobo Museum in Slo Freight’s honor, or who wants to become a Friend of the Museum for $15 a year, can send their contribution to Hobo Museum, P.O. Box 143, Britt, IA 50423. Read about the Hobo Museum at www.hobo.com. Click on the “museum” button.
Riding the rails
The word hobo came from the Civil War era. Trying to find farm work, young men put their few belongings in a sack tied to a hoe over their shoulder and jumped onto trains, riding the rails. They were called ‘hoe boys.” The word eventually became hobo.
Van Brocklin estimated between 75 to 100 hobos attend the convention in Britt each year. Of those, 25 or 30 are not really hobos, but “rubber tramp hobos,” who come to Britt in cars. She said women don’t have to ride the rails to become queen.
However, Slo Freight had always wanted to ride a train.
Her dream finally came true.
On Wednesday, July 23, the ashes of Slo Freight Ben rode the rails for 30 miles with a beloved friend and fellow hobo, Queen Sunrise.
What about the unknown hobo’s grave in the Lamont cemetery?
Van Brocklin will take over the care of that grave in honor of her mother’s tradition. |
