Stowell was a machinist who worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and lived in Albuquerque, N.M. In addition to his vocation he was an amateur photographer, free lance writer, motorcyclist and inventor. Some of his mechanical articles were published in New Mexico magazine and in motorcycling magazines. He also had a regular column in Santa Fe magazine, a magazine for railroad employees.
From the guide to the Harold W. Stowell Photograph Collection, 1920-1969, (University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research)