| Swift Current | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): Speedy Creek | |
| Motto: Where life makes sense | |
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Swift Current
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Established | 1883 |
| Incorporated (village) | September 21, 1903 |
| Incorporated (town) | March 15, 1907 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jerrod Schafer |
| • Governing body | Swift Current City Council |
| • MP | David L. Anderson (CON) - Cypress Hills—Grasslands |
| • MLA | Brad Wall (SKP) - Swift Current |
| Elevation | 817 m (2,680 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 15,048 |
| • Density | 686.4/km2 (1,777.8/sq mi) |
| • Population (2001) | 14,821 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC−6) |
| No. of dwellings | 6,891 |
| Mean household income | C$40,711 |
| Website | www.swiftcurrent.ca |
Swift Current is a small city in southwest Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway 170 kilometres (110 mi) west from Moose Jaw, and 218 kilometres (135 mi) east from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 0.8% between 2001 and 2006 ending up at 14,946 residents.[1] The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Swift Current No. 137.
Contents |
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1901 | 121 |
| 1911 | 1,852 |
| 1921 | 3,518 |
| 1931 | 5,296 |
| 1941 | 5,515 |
| 1951 | 7,458 |
| 1961 | 12,186 |
| 1971 | 15,415 |
| 1981 | 14,747 |
| 1991 | 14,815 |
| 2001 | 14,821 |
| 2006 | 14,946 |
Swift Current has a long history which began with Swift Current Creek which originates at Cypress Hills and winds its way across 100 miles (160 km) of prairie, flowing through Ried Lake along the way and emptying into the South Saskatchewan River. First Nations people knew it well and camped alongside its banks for centuries. The name of the creek has its own history, and over time has evolved into what we know today as Swift Current. The first known name is believed to have come from the Cree, who referred to it as kisiskâciwan. The word means "it flows swiftly", and is the same word used to describe the South Saskatchewan River. When early fur traders found the creek on their westward treks in the 1800s, they named it "Rivière au Courant", which means "Swift Current". Henri Julien, who was an artist with the North-West Mounted Police expedition that arrived in 1874, referred to it as "Du Courant", while Commissioner French noted "Strong Current Creek" in his diary during the same period. It would be another decade before it was officially recorded, but it appears the area was and always has been known as Swift Current.[2]Swift Current Creek also contains a small number of fish species. These include northern pike, white sucker and burbot.
The settlement of Swift Current was established in 1881, when the CPR surveyed a railway line as far as Swift Current Creek. In 1882, initial grading and track preparation commenced, with the first settlers arriving in the spring of 1883. During the early part of its settlement, the economy was based almost exclusively on serving the new railway buildings and employees. There was also a significant ranching operation known as the "76" ranches. It included 10 ranches raising sheep and cattle and stretched from Swift Current to Calgary. The ranch located at Swift Current dealt with sheep. At one point there were upwards of 20,000 sheep grazing on the present day Kinetic Grounds. The head shepherd was John Oman, originally from Scotland. He donated land to build Oman School in 1913.[3] Other early industries included gathering buffalo or bison bones for use in fertilizer manufacturing, the making of bone china and sugar refining. Métis residents also ran a successful Red River ox cart "freighting" business to Battleford until the late 1880s. During the Riel Rebellion of 1885, Swift Current became a major military base and troop mustering area due to its proximity to Battleford but this was only for a short time. On February 4, 1904, the hamlet became a village and then a town on March 15, 1907, when a census indicated a population of 550. Swift Current became incorporated as a city on January 15, 1914, with Travis Blaine Frederick being the mayor at the time.
In 1946, a pilot project for province-wide health care began in Swift Current,started by Doctor Zalman B. Claman,who shortly thereafter moved to Israel. The project received international attention and history was made when it became the first government funded medical plan in North America. Medicare was implemented across the province in 1962, and in time it would be introduced across the country.[4]
The Swift Current Airport was taken over by the city of Swift Current from Transport Canada in 1996. Airport services were then contracted out. There have been recent (2005–2006) plans to expand and revitalize the airport alongside the rural municipalities surrounding Swift Current.
Swift Current is sometimes known as "Speedy Creek". Considered to be slightly pejorative, this term is very seldom used by current or former residents. In more common usage by these groups are the terms "Swift", or "Swifty".
Swift Current's official slogan is "Where Life Makes Sense."
Swift Current is home to Saskatchewan's oldest operating theatre: the Lyric Theater, built in 1912 at a cost of $50,000 is the "crown jewel" of Swift Current's historical downtown buildings, with instantly recognizable advertisements painted on the north and south sides of the building dating back to the early 1920s. The building has served many functions over the years: at first it housed glamorous vaudeville performances by traveling companies, was later converted into a movie theatre and, in the mid 1980s, a bar and nightclub. A volunteer non-profit group (Southwest Cultural Development Group) purchased the facility in 2005 and is raising money for its preservation while staging cultural events, such as a mock Chautauqua in July 2008 and open mic nights throughout the year, and administering rentals of the building. The current musician in residence is Al Hudec.
Swift Current's tallest commercial building is the EI Wood Building in downtown.
The longest running business in Swift Current is the Imperial Hotel, also known as The Big "I". It was built in 1903 and was used as evidence that Swift Current should be granted village status. The owner, R.H. Corbett of Medicine Hat, needed the designation to obtain a liquor licence.[5]
The Swift Current railway station has been designated a historic railway station in 1991. [6]
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Swift Current experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) that does not fall far from being classified as semi-arid (Köppen BSk). Winters are long, dry and cold, while summers are short, warm and relatively wet. The coldest month is January, with a mean temperature of −12.2°C, while the warmest month is July, with a mean temperature of 17.9°C. The driest month is February, with an average of 14mm of precipitation, while the wettest month is June, with an average of 68mm. Annual precipitation is low, with an average of 377mm.
| Climate data for Swift Current | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
37.3 (99.1) |
38.9 (102.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
38.9 (102.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
31.7 (89.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
38.9 (102.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −7 (19) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
11.2 (52.2) |
17.9 (64.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.6 (76.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.2 (10.0) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
11 (52) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
5.1 (41.2) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
3.6 (38.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −17.2 (1.0) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
4.2 (39.6) |
8.7 (47.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−9.3 (15.3) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −42.8 (−45.0) |
−41.7 (−43.1) |
−35.6 (−32.1) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−24.2 (−11.6) |
−33.7 (−28.7) |
−44.4 (−47.9) |
−44.4 (−47.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 16.7 (0.657) |
14.1 (0.555) |
20.1 (0.791) |
23.5 (0.925) |
52.0 (2.047) |
67.9 (2.673) |
55.2 (2.173) |
43.5 (1.713) |
30.6 (1.205) |
17.3 (0.681) |
15.1 (0.594) |
21.2 (0.835) |
377.1 (14.846) |
| Sunshine hours | 98.4 | 122.7 | 166.4 | 230.1 | 275.6 | 299.8 | 340.1 | 301.1 | 202.5 | 175.6 | 110.4 | 83.9 | 2,406.9 |
| Source: Environment Canada[9] | |||||||||||||
The city is home to the Swift Current Museum, the Art Gallery of Swift Current, the Lyric Theatre and the Swift Current Library. The city is also host to the Windscape Kite Festival, which is the largest festival of its kind in Western Canada.
Swift Current is home to the Swift Current Broncos, a hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. They play in the 3,239 seat Credit Union iPlex in the east end of town. The team has raised some of the world's greatest hockey players to the professional level, such as Dave "Tiger" Williams, Joe Sakic, and Bryan Trottier. The Credit Union iPlex is also the home of the Swift Current Rampage a junior box lacrosse team. San Jose Sharks and Canadian International hockey player, Patrick Marleau was born in Swift Current.
Swift Current is also home to the Swift Current Indians baseball team. The team participates in Canada's premier summer collegiate level baseball league called the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL). Former Major League Baseball players Reggie Cleveland (Boston Red Sox), Jim Dedrick (Baltimore Orioles) and Shawn Wooten (Anaheim Angels) all played for Swift Current before being drafted into professional baseball. Since 1992, Swift Current has won an unprecedented 10 league championships (1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, and 2010). The Indians play at Mitchell Field, located just north of the Iplex.
Other sports institutions in the city include:
Lake Diefenbaker and Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park are 50 km north of the city on Highway 4. The park provides recreational activities like fishing, swimming, boating, camping, hiking and 4 RV parks.
Swift Current Motorcross Club has a track on the west side of town, just off 11th Ave NW.
| Rosetown | ||||
| Gull Lake | Moose Jaw | |||
| Swift Current | ||||
| Grasslands National Park |
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