Description
This collection contains photographs, correspondence, contracts, court documents, newspaper clippings, blueprints, and other
material pertaining to Albert K. Owen, an American civil engineer hired to construct a railway from Kansas City, Kansas to
Topolobampo, Sinaloa. Includes material pertaining to the Topolobampo colony and Credit Foncier Company of Sinaloa as well
as Owen's personal and professional correspondence. Letter books pertaining to land and mining operations in Sinaloa, Mexico
are also contained in the collection.
Background
Albert K. Owen was born in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1848. Owen was an American civil engineer and was hired in 1872 to evaluate
the feasibility of constructing a railroad from Kansas City, Kansas to the northern Mexican port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa.
Though his original plan was just to build a railroad, the modified plan soon included a cooperative colony which can be traced
to Owen's roots in an Indiana utopian colony. From this plan came the Credit Foncier Company of Sinaloa. The Credit Foncier
Company issued stock, credits, and scripts in return for labor which benefited the colony. This was also the agency used by
Owen to acquire land holdings for himself and the colony. Though Owen's plans for the colony were never successful, his plans
for the railway were pursued and later became what is now known as the Mexican Central Railroad which runs from El Paso, Texas
across the Sierra Madre mountains, to the port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa.
Extent
3.60 linear feet
(4 boxes)
Restrictions
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other
restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility
for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user
Availability
This collection is open for research.