Preserving Historic Hobo Day
Preserving Historic Hobo Day
Hobo Day is the homecoming celebration for South Dakota State University and includes a parade through campus, downtown Brookings, a Jackrabbits football game and many unique traditions.
The first Hobo Day occurred on Nov. 2, 1912. Homecoming thrives at South Dakota State University and is the largest one-day event in the state. The return of alumni to their alma mater for a weekend of football, fun and memories has flourished and grown over the decades, embodying the essence of Jackrabbits Pride.
The Hobo Day collection in the Digital Library of South Dakota contains over 5,700 items related to Hobo Day festivities for over 100 years.
Did we misidentify an image or do you have additional information you would like to share? If so, please contact us. Improving descriptions for photos makes them easier to find and creates a greater legacy for research.
Share Your Legacy!
In 2016, the South Dakota State University Archives received a Common Heritage grant from the to collect and digitize community-held Hobo Day artifacts! Although the grant has ended, we are still collecting your Hobo Day photos, home movies, scrapbooks, posters and more.
So, we are looking for community-held Hobo Day memorabilia to add to SDSU Archives Digital Hobo Day Collection. Bring your items to SDSU Archives and Special Collections at Hilton M. Briggs Library for digitization. We will digitize your memories and give you a flash drive to keep.
Learning Hobo Day History
Watch Crystal Gamradt's presentation about the history of Hobo Day in the video below.
