The town was founded in 1904 by the Braden Copper Company to extract copper from the El Teniente mine, and, in 1915, it was named after the company's first president, Barton Sewell.
The town was founded in 1904 by the Braden Copper Company. This was to extract copper from the El Teniente mine. It was named after the company's first president. Barton Sewell was the company's first president.