Hobo Joe

Roadside Oddities, p. 140-141
Players: Beth and King, July 9, 2010
Directions: East Monroe Ave and North Apache Rd. in Buckeye, AZ
Entrance Fee: $0



When driving to Buckeye I had a sheer stroke of genius! On my blog I am going to create a game! It is similar to 'Where is Waldo?' but it will be 'Where is King?' Starting with the 'Hobo Joe' challenge, King will appear in all challenge photos posted on my blog. I challenge you to find my two inch friend in all future blog posts!

I am not familiar with Buckeye at all and since I didn't prepare directions ahead of time to find this famous hobo, I had to ask for directions. I knew the cross streets so I asked the local teenagers hanging outside the shell station to point me in the correct direction. I thought it was a good idea. Of course both of them had no idea where North Apache Rd. was...they even asked their friend that they were talking to on the phone! No luck... Then I showed them the picture from 'Weird Arizona' of Hobo Joe and suddenly the juices in their 17 year old brains started flowing! They didn't realize I was looking for "the man." They gave me some landmark directions and I was off! It was less than a quarter mile from that shell station.

Currently Hobo Joe stands proudly in front of a fifty-year old meat packing plant. However, in Joe's hay day he stood in front of a diner that bore his name. There were several Hobo Joe restaurants in the 1960, each with a 5 foot tall statue of the Hobo Joe. However 3 lucky locations were blessed with 25 foot tall Hobo Joe statues. Supposedly Hobo Joe's restaurants provided a fun family dining experience, where you could choose from delicious menu items like the Hoboburger.

Hobo Joe's life is not with out scandal.According to "Weird Arizona" the chain's owners bought an investment firm business into the Hobo Joe's business, making them a firm partner in the company in exchange for a $3 million bank loan. The loan was supposed to be repaid with restaurant profits but at least one partner embezzled the money. This left the firm in debt while the crook built a Phoenix home and "a posh duplex in Mesa intended for Mafia sex parties."

With the financial troubles going in the restaurants one large Hobo Joe was not paid for and consequently not installed. Marvin Ransdell, the Hobo Joe creator, kept the Hobo for himself and installed him above his pool business. When he ran into his own financial problems his friends Ramon and Helen Gillum stored the Hobo for him. After Marvin died he willed it to them. As a tribute to Marvin, Ramon installed the Hobo on his property in Buckeye where he stands to this day, guarding the meat packing plant.