When beginning this project, there were boxes pulled from the Topolobampo Collection without any clear purpose or direction so that we could find what spoke to each of us. I found the scrapbooks most appealing due to the extensiveness of them. Each book was almost filled entirely of various newspaper clippings and documents from the colony. These scrapbooks were created with the goal of collecting information on how to create the ideal society that Albert K. Owen strived for, how the colony was discussed, and the aftermath of Topolobampo. Many of the writings within the scrapbooks are from Owen who created the majority of them. Many of the scrapbooks were created with special care in mind of what Owen liked about socialism and co-operative labor unions. They are organized by labels, although some of the later ones do not have a label, and they were meant for certain departments under the umbrella of the Credit Foncier Company.<\/p>\r\n
From this vast collection of information, I found a trail of documents that led Owen to his dream of Topolobampo. From these newspaper clippings, it was easy to see where he gathered his information from and why he chose to do the things he did. These findings reveal a man who carefully crafted his ideal city and spent time making choices at the prospect of creating a better place for laborers. He was indeed a well-read man, but these scrapbooks put that into perspective. Hundreds of pages were read and chosen to be placed in these scrapbooks. How this exhibit is laid out is to try and demonstrate the collection of clippings alongside his ideas working together to form Topolobampo and his Railroad project.<\/p>\r\n
In \u201cIdeal City Planning,\u201d documents relating to Owen\u2019s ideas on socialism and capitalism can be found along with connections made to how well received these ideas were. These newspaper clippings are a collection of what worked and didn\u2019t work for socialism and capitalism that Owen took into consideration. In \u201cRailroad Plan and Other Opportunities,\u201d these clippings reveal Owen\u2019s knowledge of the railroad business and other ideas he possibly explored in order to put Topolobampo on the map. Finally, in \u201cOwen\u2019s Relationships,\u201d there is an exploration of how his business dealings and dream interconnected with his personal relationships.<\/p>\r\n
Through these scrapbooks, we can see the structure of Owen\u2019s ideas and the aftermath from them. While they are not always visually appealing, the importance of these newspaper clippings and collection of documents show the years of research and dedication that Owen had for his Topolobampo city. His ideas and dreams were grand, but there were dreams he thought possible despite the resistance and ridicule he received for it. It as this realization, Owen\u2019s words stand out: \u201cTo do anything well man shall plan observingly, deeply and broadly, and not be in a hurry to finish\u201d (151). His dream was monumental, but his mind was clear that with time, his dream could become a reality. This is what most likely kept him persistent until his death.<\/p>\r\n
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Owen, Albert Kimsey. Integral Co-Operation at Work<\/em>. John W. Lovell Company, 1890.<\/p>","credits":"","featured":1,"public":1,"theme":"","theme_options":null,"slug":"utopia-society-planning","added":"2018-10-15 22:30:15","modified":"2019-02-17 19:25:22","owner_id":11,"use_summary_page":1,"cover_image_file_id":349},"item":{"id":58,"item_type_id":1,"collection_id":5,"featured":0,"public":1,"added":"2018-10-15 18:25:03","modified":"2019-02-22 22:54:20","owner_id":11}}