Albert K. Owen papers
Finding aid prepared by Ena Hillery and Jaime Madrigal, Student Processing Assistants.
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© 2015
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Albert K. Owen papers
Date (inclusive): 1863-1911, undated
Date (bulk): 1886-1911
Collection Number: MS 005
Creator:
Owen, Albert Kimsey
Extent:
3.60 linear feet
(4 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Abstract: 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.
Languages: The collection is in English and Spanish.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Albert K. Owen papers (MS 005). Special Collections & University Archives, University
of California, Riverside.
Acquisition Information
Purchased in 1982.
Processing History
Processed by Ena Hillery and Jaime Madrigal, Student Processing Assistants, 2015.
Processing of the Albert K. Owen papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside
as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded
by the UCR Library and administered by Bergis Jules, University and Political Papers Archivist, and Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts
Curator.
Biographical Note
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.
Collection Scope and Contents
This collection is comprised of photographs, correspondence, contracts, court documents, newspaper clippings, blueprints,
and other material pertaining to Albert K. Owen's involvement with the Topolobampo colony, located in the northern port of
Sinaloa, Mexico. Mailings to Owen from personal contacts which encompass correspondence, diary entries, and letters on daily
life are also included. Additionally, there is material on the Credit Foncier Company, an agency founded by Owen to issue
stock, script, and credit in return for labor, as well as to obtain land holdings for Owen and the colony. Letter books pertaining
to land and mining operations in Sinaloa, Mexico are also contained in the collection.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into three series as follows:
- Series 1. Documents, 1863-1911
- Series 2. Maps and blueprints, undated
- Series 3. Press clippings and photographs, circa 1879-1895, undated
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Kneeland, Ira Cook, -1812?
Collective settlements
Topolobampo (Mexico)
Utopias
Genres and Forms of Materials
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence
Maps
Photographs
Series 1. Documents
1863-1911
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains documents, correspondence, and other material pertaining to the Credit Foncier Company and Albert K.
Owen. Also includes Ira Kneeland's correspondence, legal documents, and contracts regarding Topolobampo as well as letter
books pertaining to land and mining operations in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.
Box 1, Folder 2
Documents of the Credit Foncier Company
1886-1892
Box 1, Folder 3
Legal documents and contracts pertaining to Topolobampo
1863-1911
Box 1, Folder 4
Correspondence of Albert K. Owen and Ira Kneeland
1886-1903
Scope and Content Summary
This folder includes letters to and from Albert K. Owen and the Kneeland Letters.
Box 4
Letter books pertaining to land and mining operations in Sinaloa, Mexico featuring correspondence from A. Sydney Jones (?)
to William N. Olmsted
circa 1885-1895
Series 2. Maps and blueprints
undated
Series Scope and Contents
This series includes a collection of maps and blueprints pertaining to Topolobampo.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.
Box 1, Folder 5
Maps of the United States and Mexico including the region of Topoplobampo and Sinaloa, Mexico
undated
Box 1, Folder 6
Blueprints of buildings and street schematics for Topolobampo
undated
Series 3. Press clippings and photographs
circa 1879-1895, undated
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains press clippings, photographs, and other material pertaining to the people and landscapes of Topolobampo
and surrounding areas.
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged sequentially by box and folder number.
Box 1, Folder 1
Press clippings and promotional material pertaining to Topolobampo
1879-1890
Box 2, Folder 1
Photographs of the landscapes and geography of Mexico including Topolobampo
circa 1889-1894
Box 2, Folder 2
Photographs of Fuerte Valley at the time of Topolobampo by Ira Kneeland
undated
Box 2, Folder 3
Photographs of people in Topolobampo and surrounding areas
circa 1886-1895
Box 3
Newspaper clippings regarding Topolobampo
circa 1880-1889
