08/15/2026
What a wonderful day in Wonewoc. We had a huge crowd to cheer on the movers of the Hobo Hotel. Thank you to all of the community members that put in a ton of work to restore the building and make this move possible.
The Hoover Hotel
Wonewoc
Juneau County
From Sauk County Scrapbook:
During the Great Depression of the 1930's, approximately a quarter of the United States population was unemployed. With jobs being hard to find, migrant workers would ride the rails looking for work. These drifters would hop railroad freight cars and travel from town to town, often facing danger, hostile train crews and railroad cops.
When the Chicago and North Western Railway brought the traveling hobos to Wonewoc, an empty building near the tracks that originally served as the village jail until 1915 was offered as a place for food and shelter. The Hoover Hotel, mockingly named for President Herbert Hoover who was widely blamed for the economic downturn, provided 6 bunkbeds for 12 weary travelers. A cookstove provided warmth and a place to cook meals. Many visitors left their mark by carving their name in the wall.
After the structure was badly damaged in the flood of 2018, a local effort led by Village resident Richard Kilmer is underway to preserve this piece of local history.
The Hoover Hotel is located near the 400 trail on Washington St, just past West Street towards the Canoe Launch in Wonewoc.
