Pacific Colony in Context: Attempting Utopia in 19th C. America by Michaella Gonzalez

If you find it hard to imagine the 19th century America that the colonists of Pacific Colony were fleeing, just envision laissez-faire capitalism, robber barons, the tail side of the industrial revolution, and the advent of the railroad. For Americans, the railroad was king and Pacific Colony was no exception. The railroad was the key to empire, not a national scale, but on a personal one and Albert Owen was eager to build his empire. For Owen, building the stretch of railroad from Topolobampo to Texas was his main goal, the colony came second and was even one of the machinations that would build the railroad for Owen. Contextualizing Pacific Colony in this light is important to understand Owen's dreams and motivations as well as those of the colonists.