For all you etymologists out there, from whence cometh the term Hell On Wheels?
Wasn't it the slogan of a WWII infantry battalion? Sorry, can't recall which one, but I'm betting you know.
Of course I know, silly, I don't generally ask rhetorical trivia quesions.
Anyway it dates from the mid 19th century.
No, I meant that you knew which battalion it was, like the 53rd Infantry or some kinda thing. I figured you knew the answer to the question.
Anyway, so WWII is off, but it dates from the mid-1800s. Can you expand on that? Or rather, would you?
I'm guessing it has theatrical roots?
No, it's a surprisingly literal reference. It comes from the Union Pacific RR Co. building the eastern half of the transcontinental railroad. Unlike the Central Pacific, which after few months was largely employing well-behaved Chinese, the Union Pacific employed anyone who could get there; an incredibly volatile mix of humanity with the largest numbers coming from three groups: Irish immigrants, ex-Confederate soldiers, and ex-slaves. Vice & violence were endemic, and the U-P bosses also quickly learned that they had problems with turnover. So as both a profit-making scheme & a way to keep their labor supply more dependent on the company wages, they either set up or actively encouraged brothels, gaming dens, saloons, etc. The scene of all this activity adjacent to the laborers' camp became known as Helltown. And every 20 miles or so the whole thing had to pull up stakes and move west with the newly laid track, thus it became Hell quite literally
On Wheels.
According to one book I read on the subject, Hell on Wheels had essentially no law enforcement and averaged roughly two homicides per night.
