Los Mochis has a colorful history. A colony of international renown was begun in the region in the late 1800's by a visionary named Albert K. Owen. Built upon Utopian principles (precursor to Communism), it floundered after surviving some 30 years. The city proper was first settled in 1893 by a businessman named Benjamin Johnston, who came to find his fortune in sugar cane. He built a sugar refinery around which the modern city has developed. Today the El Fuerte valley in which Los Mochis lies is the principal agricultural area of Mexico, containing over 70% of all irrigated land and producing sugar cane, cotton, rice, flowers, and many types of vegetables. The nearby town of Topolobampo is also an important deepwater seaport (the second largest natural deepwater port in the world) which is known for its commercial fishing and increasingly important role in shipping.
Los Mochis is the western terminus of the railroad which passes through one of the most scenic natural wonders of the world, the Copper Canyon. It is generally conceded that the idea for this railway was originally conceived by Albert K. Owen and approved by Presidente Porfirio Díaz as a trade route linking the cattle markets in Kansas City with the nearest port on the Pacific, Topolobampo. In 2001 work began to build a 4 lane highway which will eventually connect the port with the state of Texas in the USA.