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CORRESPONDENCE

Scope and Content of Series

Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE: The series begins with a chronological list of correspondents in the collection. The series contains letters to and from Owen, as well as business letters between individuals who played prominent or peripheral roles in the development of Topolobampo. Significant correspondents include John W. Lovell, C. B. Hoffman, J. H. Rice, and Arthur E. Stilwell. Also included are five letters addressed to Mexican President Porfirio Diaz, and Diaz's response to the "intrigues" (legal disputes over land ownership) taking place in the colony (March 3, 1894).
The contents of Owen's letters range from his personal reasons for creating the colony (January 22, 1890) to allusions to the lawsuit and land disputes that took place in the 1890s. Early letters describe Topolobampo as a business and commercial venture. Later, more voluminous correspondence is preoccupied with the future of the community and the mundane problems of water, food supply and ownership disputes that ailed the community.
Box 1, Folder 1

Chronological list of correspondents

Chronological list of correspondents

Box 1, Folder 2

Correspondence 1881

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 3

Correspondence 1883

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 4

Correspondence 1884

Letter from A. K. Owen to William Windom

Box 1, Folder 5

Correspondence 1885

Handwritten letter from James Campbell to Walter C. Gilson, Esq.

Box 1, Folder 6

Correspondence 1888

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 7

Correspondence 1889

Correspondence

General note

Contains a document that raises questions and poses problems regarding the colonization concession.
Box 1, Folder 8

Correspondence 1890

Correspondence

General note

Contains a 24-page, handwritten letter dated January 24, 1890, in which Owen recounts aspirations and objectives regarding the Topolobampo Colony, at this point known as Pacific City.
Box 1, Folder 9

Correspondence 1891

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 10

Correspondence 1892

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 11

Correspondence 1893

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 12

Correspondence 1894

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 13

Correspondence 1895

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 14

Correspondence 1896

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 15

Correspondence 1896

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 16

Correspondence 1897

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 17

Correspondence 1898

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 18

Correspondence 1899

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 19

Correspondence 1900

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 20

Correspondence 1901

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 21

Correspondence 1902

Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 22

Correspondence 1903

Correspondence

Box 2, Folder 1

Correspondence 1904

Correspondence

Box 2, Folder 2

Correspondence 1905

Correspondence

Box 2, Folder 3

Correspondence 1906

Letter from A. E. Stilwell to the Stockholders of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient R. R.

Box 2, Folder 4

Correspondence 1907

Letter from Jose Hampl to Mrs. A. K. Owen

Box 2, Folder 5

Correspondence 1910

Correspondence

Box 2, Folder 6

Correspondence undated

Correspondence

 

WRITINGS BY OWEN

Scope and Content of Series

Series 2) WRITINGS BY OWEN: This series contains many of Owen's promotional, analytical and narrative writings. His thoughts on utopian society are articulated in his essay "The Albert Owen Plan of Integral Cooperation." The essay "New Year's Card for Friends: What I Believe and What I Am" provides an introspective glimpse of Owen's nature. Owen's first encounter with the bay at Topolobampo is recorded in his "Topolobampo journal." The WRITINGS are arranged alphabetically.
Box 2, Folder 7

Address by Albert K. Owen to Cooperators at Woolrich, England

Address by Albert K. Owen to Cooperators at Woolrich, England - The Topolobampo Colony: The Ethical-Social Reformation of Our Day

General note

Carbon copy, March 15, 1894.
Box 2, Folder 8

Albert Owen Plan of Integral Cooperation: The Problem Stated

The Albert Owen Plan of Integral Cooperation: The Problem Stated

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 9

Instructions to Colonists Who Go to Sinaloa During the Eight Months Beginning November, 1st 1887

Instructions to Colonists Who Go to Sinaloa During the Eight Months Beginning November 1st 1887, by Albert Owen, Chairman of the Credit Foncier Company

General note

Printed pamphlet.
Box 2, Folder 10

Looking at What Can Be Done Now -- Not Backward, Not Forward

Looking at What Can Be Done Now -- Not Backward, Not Forward

General note

Printed pamphlet, December 1, 1910.
Box 2, Folder 11

Money of Account

Money of Account

General note

Galley.
Box 2, Folder 12

National and State Auto-Highways

National and State Auto-Highways

General note

Printed broadside.
Box 2, Folder 13

New Route to the Pacific

New Route to the Pacific: The Coming Commercial Metropolis of the Pacific

General note

Published letter, June 13, 1880.
Box 2, Folder 14

New Year's Card for Friends: What I Believe and What I Am

New Year's Card for Friends: What I Believe and What I Am

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 15

Newspaper articles by Owen

Newspaper articles by A. K. Owen

Box 2, Folder 16

Paris: A Glance at the City on the Seine by a Tourist

Paris: A Glance at the City on the Seine by a Tourist

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 17

Problems of the Hour: Seven Brief Studies

Problems of the Hour: Seven Brief Studies, by A. K. Owen. The Equities in Property. Study No. 1

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 18

Proposition from A. K. Owen to... 1888

Proposition from A. K. Owen

General note

Manuscript.
Box 2, Folder 19

Reflections

Reflections (On Capital Punishment, Payment for Work, and Thought)

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 20

Remarks

Remarks to Topolobampo Colonists

General note

Printed pamphlet, October 20, 1892.
Box 2, Folder 21

Remarks to the Subscribers of the Credit Foncier Company

Remarks to the Subscribers of the Credit Foncier Company

General note

Printed pamphlet, September 25, 1888.
Box 2, Folder 22

Study

A Study (of Money Received from Sales of Lot-Lease Rights)

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 23

There Is a Light in Asia

There Is a Light in Asia

General note

Carbon copy, December 25, 1891.
Box 2, Folder 24

Three-headed Hydra of Society: How to Exterminate the Monster

Three-headed Hydra of Society: How to Exterminate the Monster

General note

Printed broadside.
Box 2, Folder 25

To Convert Christians

To Convert Christians: A Society of India to Send Missionaries to this Country

General note

Carbon copy, December 8, 1892.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 4

Topolobampo journal 1872 September 9-October 26

Topolobampo journal

General note

Photocopy.
 

SUBJECT MATERIALS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 3) SUBJECT MATERIALS: This series documents the logistics of the Topolobampo enterprise and includes descriptions of the numerous corporations involved in promoting and financing the project. Also included are detailed descriptions of the rail line divisions, order forms for locomotives and other equipment, railroad brochures, pamphlets, general descriptions of loans, minutes of stockholders' meetings, memoranda discussing the legal aspects of the colony, and a record of the sale and transfer of ownership of "Los Tastes Ditch."
Important corporate entities include the Credit Foncier Company; the Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company; the Home Investment Company; the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad; the Mexican Western Railroad; and numerous "Pacific City" enterprises. Of particular interest is a paste-up promotional brochure for the Home Investment Company that contains an essay on socialism and city block plans.
Legal documents tracing title to the Topolobampo lands are located in this series, as are newspaper articles about the colony.
The series also contains a photograph of A. K. Owen, an engraving of the colony site on the bay and a pamphlet by the Credit Foncier Company called "The Topolobampo Colonists" that includes images of the colony.
Box 2, Folder 27

Alfaro Lawsuit

Alfaro Lawsuit

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 28

Credit Foncier Company - Integral Co-operation

Credit Foncier Company - Integral Co-operation

General note

Galley.
Box 2, Folder 29

Credit Foncier Company - A Lesson to Study

Credit Foncier Company - A Lesson to Study (an extract)

General note

Typescript, February 22, 1890.
Box 2, Folder 30

Credit Foncier Company - List of Births and Deaths in the Topolobampo Colony 1892 - 1893

Credit Foncier Company - List of Births and Deaths in the Topolobampo Colony

General note

Typescript.
Box 2, Folder 31

Credit Foncier Company - List of Colonists, June 30, 1893

Credit Foncier Company - List of Colonists

General note

Typescript.
Box 2, Folder 32

Credit Foncier Company - Official Report of Capt. R.R. Leary, US S.S. Iroquois to Secretary of the Navy, US

Credit Foncier Company - Official Report of Capt. R.P. Leary, U.S. S.S. Iroquois to Secretary of the Navy, U.S

General note

Printed broadside, December 13, 1887.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 5

Credit Foncier Company - The Purposes of the Topolobampo Colonists: Our Principles

Credit Foncier Company - The Purposes of the Topolobampo Colonists: Our Principles

Box 2, Folder 34

Credit Foncier Company - Statement of Account form

Credit Foncier Company - Statement of Account form

Box 2, Folder 35

Credit Foncier Company - The Situation, the Opportunity and the Duty

Credit Foncier Company - The Situation, the Opportunity and the Duty

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 36

Credit Foncier Company - To the Board of Directors of the Credit Foncier Company, Bay-side, Topolobampo

Credit Foncier Company - To the Board of Directors of the Credit Foncier Company, Bay-side, Topolobampo

General note

Carbon copy.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 6

Credit Foncier Company - To the Stockholders of the Credit Foncier Company 1887 March 16

Credit Foncier Company - To the Stockholders of the Credit Foncier Company

General note

Printed broadside.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 9

Credit Foncier Company - The Topolobampo Colonists

Credit Foncier Company - The Topolobampo Colonists. Testimonial

General note

Pamphlet with images of the colony.
Box 2, Folder 39

Credit Foncier Company - Vote of Confidence to A.K. Owen

Credit Foncier Company - Vote of Confidence to A.K. Owen

General note

Typescript, March 8, 1893.
Box 2, Folder 40

CREDIT FONCIER OF SINALOA - Extracts from the CREDIT FONCIER OF SINALOA published at Topolobampo...

Credit Foncier of Sinaloa - Extracts from the Credit Foncier of Sinaloa, published at Topolobampo

General note

Printed broadside, February 15, 1891.
Box 2, Folder 41

CREDIT FONCIER OF SINALOA - Memoranda of Agreement 1892

Credit Foncier of Sinaloa - Memoranda of Agreement

Box 2, Folder 42

CREDIT FONCIER OF SINALOA - The Topolobampo Colonists: What is Said of Them

Credit Foncier of Sinaloa - The Topolobampo Colonists: What is Said of Them

General note

Printed pamphlet, September 1, 1892.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 8

Topolobampo Bay print 1887

Topolobampo Bay print

General note

By Ella B. Stanley and published in HARPER'S WEEKLY.
Box 2, Folder 44

Financial Proposition: To Organize the Three Companies

Financial Proposition: To Organize the Three Companies

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 2, Folder 45

Foreign Corporations Doing Business in Mexico: Code of Commerce, Articles 265-267

Foreign Corporations Doing Business in Mexico: Code of Commerce, Articles 265-267

General note

Typescript.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 7

Hampl, Jose - El Canal de Los Tastes 1902 February 2

Hampl, Jose - El Canal de Los Tastes

General note

Printed broadside
Oversize FB-126, Folder 7

Hampl, Jose - La Colonia de Topolobampo

Hampl, Jose - La Colonia de Topolobampo

General note

Printed broadside.
Box 2, Folder 48

Hampl, Jose - Interesante

Hampl, Jose - Interesante

General note

March 22, 1902.
Oversize FB-126, Folder 7

Hampl, Jose - Los Terrenos de Los Mochis 1902 March 15

Hampl, Jose - Los Terrenos de Los Mochis

General note

Printed broadside.
Box 2, Folder 50

Home Investment Company - Let Us Preach the Gospel of Higher Association

Home Investment Company - Let Us Preach the Gospel of Higher Association

General note

Paste-up promotional pamphlet for Home City, including Owen's notes and an essay on socialism.
Box 2, Folder 51

Home Investment Company - The Plan

Home Investment Company - The Plan

General note

Printed broadside with annotation.
Box 2, Folder 52

Home Investment Company - An Up-to-date Business Plan, For Business Men, to Unite Savings, Labor, Lands...

Home Investment Company - An Up-to-date Business Plan, For Business Men, to Unite Savings, Labor, Lands

General note

Printed broadside, ca. 1899.
Box 2, Folder 53

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad - Memorandum of Contract (Between A.K. Owen and A.F. Stilwell)

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad - Memorandum of Contract (between A.K. Owen and A.F. Stilwell)

General note

Manuscript drafts and typescript final version, April 1, 1900.
Box 2, Folder 54

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway Company - Schedule

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway Company - Schedule

General note

October 1909.
Box 2, Folder 55

Kansas-Sinaloa Investment Company - Memoranda 1891 - 1892

Kansas-Sinaloa Investment Company - Memoranda

Box 2, Folder 56

Legal documents related to Topolobampo land titles 1877 - 1897

Legal documents related to Topolobampo land titles

Box 2, Folder 57

Legal documents related to Topolobampo land titles 1900 - 1903

Legal documents related to Topolobampo land titles

Box 2, Folder 58

Loan agreement between A.K. Owen and Kinsley Dryden Doyle

Loan agreement between A.K. Owen and Kinsley Dryden Doyle

General note

December 17, 1896.
Box 2, Folder 59

Memoranda

Memorandum

Box 3, Folder 1

Mexican Central Railroad

Map of the Mexican Central Railroad

General note

Map.
Box 3, Folder 2

Mexican Northern Railroad - Memorandum

Mexican Northern Railroad - Memorandum

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 3, Folder 3

Mexican Western Railroad

"The Topolobampo Railway" - Mexican Western Railroad

General note

Collection of carbon copy documents related to the development, financing and procurement of materials for the first 32 miles of track beginning at Topolobampo harbor.
Box 3, Folder 4

Mexican Western Railroad - Memorandum Made by S.C Jackson

Mexican Western Railroad - Memorandum by S.C Jackson

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 3, Folder 5

Mexican Western Railroad - Sample stock certificate

Mexican Western Railroad - Sample stock certificate

Box 3, Folder 6

Mines - Reports

Mining reports

General note

Collection of mining reports for resources in the Topolobampo area.
Box 3, Folder 7

Newspaper articles about Topolobampo 1881 - 1903

Newspaper articles about Topolobampo

Box 3, Folder 8

North Mexico Company - Articles of Incorporation

North Mexico Company - Articles of Incorporation

General note

Carbon copy draft, November 13, 1896.
Box 3, Folder 9

North Mexico Contraction and Purveying Company - Memorandum

North Mexico Contraction and Purveying Company - Memorandum

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 10

North Mexico Contracting Company - Description of company

North Mexico Contracting Company - Description of company

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 11

North Mexico Contracting Company - Subscription agreement

North Mexico Contracting Company - Subscription agreement

General note

Typescript copy, April 1902.
Box 3, Folder 12

Pacific-Kansas Investment Company - Subscriptions

Pacific-Kansas Investment Company - Subscriptions

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 13

Pacific City - Descriptions of the site

Pacific City - Descriptions of the site

Box 3, Folder 14

Pacific City - A Home For Every Citizen

Pacific City - A Home For Every Citizen

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 15

Pacific City - Land Resources Directly Contributing to Pacific City Site, Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico

Pacific City - Land Resources Directly Contributing to Pacific City Site, Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico

General note

August 1904.
Box 3, Folder 16

Pacific City - Memoranda

Pacific City - Memoranda

General note

Carbon copies.
Box 3, Folder 17

Pacific City - Moneys spent by and Through Albert K. Owen to acquire and develop Pacific City Site... 1873 - 1903

Pacific City - Moneys spent by and Through Albert K. Owen to acquire and develop Pacific City Site

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 18

Pacific City Colonization Company - The Assets of the Pacific City Colonization Company

Pacific City Colonization Company - The Assets of the Pacific City Colonization Company

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 3, Folder 19

Pacific City Contracting and Purveying Company - A Business Proposition...

Pacific City Contracting and Purveying Company - A Business Proposition

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 20

Pacific City Contracting Company - Possible Business

Pacific City Contracting Company - Possible Business

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 3, Folder 21

Pacific City Contracting Company - A Proposition How to Build a New City Quickly...

Pacific City Contracting Company - A Proposition How to Build a New City Quickly

General note

Also includes a description of the company.
Box 3, Folder 22

Pacific City Development Company - Memoranda No. 3 and No. 4

Pacific City Development Company - Memoranda No. 3 and No. 4

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 23

Pacific City Development Company - Subscriptions 1903

Pacific City Development Company - Subscriptions

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 24

Pacific City Terminal and Contracting Company - Description of the company, memoranda and subscriptions

Pacific City Terminal and Contracting Company - Description of the company, memoranda and subscriptions

General note

Typescripts.
Box 3, Folder 25

Photograph of A.K. Owen 1894

Portrait of A.K. Owen

General note

Photogravure image.
Box 3, Folder 26

Power of attorney - A.K. Owen

Power of attorney - A.K. Owen

Box 3, Folder 27

Promotional excerpts from newspaper articles 1891 - 1905

Promotional excerpts from newspaper articles

General note

Typescripts.
Box 3, Folder 28

Reports of experts on Topolobampo

Reports of experts on Topolobampo

General note

Typescripts.
Box 3, Folder 29

Sinaloa and Chicago Railroad - Promotional brochure

Sinaloa and Chicago Railroad - A Co-operative Railroad

Box 3, Folder 30

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Agreement to form the company

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Agreement to form the company

General note

Manuscript (in Spanish), May 26, 1886.
Box 3, Folder 31

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Description of the corporation by Owen

The Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Description of the corporation by Owen

General note

Carbon copy.
Box 3, Folder 32

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Indenture Agreement with the Mexican-American Construction Company

General note

Indenture Agreement with the Mexican American Construction Company.
Box 3, Folder 33

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company 1890

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Memorandum of Agreement with John H. Rice and the Kansas-Sinaloa Investment Company

General note

Memorandum of Agreement with John H. Rice and the Kansas-Sinaloa Investment Company. Carbon copy.
Box 3, Folder 34

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company 1886

Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company - Stockholders' Meeting

General note

Stockholders' Meeting.
Box 3, Folder 35

Topolobampo Contracting Company - Memorandum

Topolobampo Contracting Company - Memorandum

General note

Typescript.
Box 3, Folder 36

Topolobampo Terminal, Contracting and Purveying Company - A Statement

Topolobampo Terminal, Contracting and Purveying Company - A Statement

 

MAPS AND PLANS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 4) MAPS AND PLANS. Arranged in three subseries: A) Colony Maps, B) Pacific City Plans and C) Railroad Maps.
A) Colony Maps: Maps of the Topolobampo region, including the Fuerte Valley and the land distribution among the various owners. Of particular interest is the "Plat of Engineer Farm," which includes a table with the names of farmers and acreage in production.
B) Pacific City Plans: Two plans for Pacific City, formerly Gonzales City, that show its layout relative to the harbor as well as the names of streets and location of plazas. Also included are detailed model block plans designed by Owen, with elevations rendered in Arab-styled architecture.
C) Railroad Maps: Finally, the Railroad Maps subseries includes two maps for the proposed Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company, Owen's first railroad project. In addition, the subseries contains a map of the route for the proposed Mexican Western Railway and two maps of the completed Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway.
 

Colony Maps

Oversize MC-044, Folder 03

Lands of Louise B. Owen

Land of Louise B. Owen

Oversize MC-044, Folder 03

Plan of Topolobampo Harbor and Vicinity 1882

Colony Map - Plan of Topolobampo Harbor and Vicinity by A. K. Owen

General note

By A.K. Owens
Oversize MC-044, Folder 03

Plat of Engineer Farm, Mexico

Oversize MC-044, Folder 03

Topolobampo Harbor 1868 22 January

Topolobampo Harbor

General note

Department of the Navy, Oceanographic Office.
 

Pacific City Plans

Oversize MC-044, Folder 04

Pacific City and related plans, grids and drawings

Plan - A Model Block, Pacific City. Associated Cottage Residences 1/2 Acre Lots, With Centralized Kitchens and Laundries
Plan - Block of Pacific Colony, showing detail of Residences, Centralized Kitchens, Laundries
Plan of Pacific City, Sinaloa - Mexico
Plan of Gonzalez City - With View of Entrance to Topolobampo Harbor
Drawing of West End facade - Kitchen, Laundry and Dining Room
Plan of Resident Hotel
Plan - A Model Block, Pacific Colony, Sinaloa, Mexico
Drawing - A Model Block, Pacific Colony, Sinaloa, Mexico. Includes Studies of Arabic Ornamentation for a Model Block, Pacific Colony

 

Railroad Maps

Oversize MC-044, Folder 05

Map of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway

Map of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway

Oversize MC-044, Folder 05

Map of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway Showing Located and Preliminary Lines... 1904 October

Map of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway Showing Located and Preliminary Lines

Oversize MC-044, Folder 05

Map of the Mexican-Western Railway from Topolobampo via Bocoyna to Chihuahua Showing the Sierra...

Map of the Mexican-Western Railway from Topolobampo via Bocoyna to Chihuahua Showing the Sierra

General note

By Albert von Motz.
Oversize MC-044, Folder 05

Map of the Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Line, Mexico

Map of the Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Line, Mexico

General note

By Albert von Motz.
Oversize MC-044, Folder 05

Map of the Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific R.R. and Telegraph (Western Division) from Chihuahua and Parral... 1883

Map of the Texas, Topolobampo and Pacific R.R. and Telegraph (Western Division) from Chihuahua and Parral

General note

By Albert von Motz.