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Preserving Historic Hobo Day

Hobo Day Couple 1971

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 November 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 Jackrabbit Pride.

Hobo Day History in the Digital Library of South Dakota

The Hobo Day collection in the Digital Library of South Dakota contains over 5700 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 National Endowment for the Humanities 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.

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 Briggs Library for digitization! We will digitize your memories and give you a flash drive to keep!

Materials donated to SDSU Archives
Materials donated to SDSU Archives by Ann Kratochvil Holzhauser, the first female Grand Pooba.

Learning Hobo Day History

Watch Crystal Gamradt's presentation about the history of Hobo Day in the video below.