It’s tough to find a hobo sign nowadays. But just as Depression-era America gave birth to the pictographic language of hobos—indecipherable to others—today’s cities are home to lots of signs meant only for the eyes of a select few:
The above is a (particularly artistic) example of the utility location markings intended for construction crews.
From wikipedia, a guide to decoding these markings:
- Red: electric
- Orange: telecom
- Green: natural gas
- Blue: drinking water
- Violet: reclaimed water
- Pink: temporary survey markings
- White: proposed excavation limits or route
- More: utility location markings
Maybe someday I’ll collect ’em all.
(In case you were wondering: “USA” stands for Underground Service Alert, the organization that left this particular sign.)
Howard33 has a nice photoset of these Mysterious Street Markings on flickr.
Pigeon District 
One Comment
Some of these are really food for thought. How did a kind-hearted woman get transmuted into a dachshund?
Also, some are pretty similar, and I bet hoboes don’t have the best hand-eye coordination. Do you think an “OK family” ever wondered why every tramp who came through wouldn’t shut up about Jesus?