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Swift Current, Saskatchewan

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Swift Current is a small city "Where Life Makes Sense" in the southwestern region of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Swift Current has a long history which begins with a creek. The creek winds its way across a hundred miles of prairie until it empties into the South Saskatchewan River. First Nations people knew it well and camped alongside the creek 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 Saskatchewan River. When early fur traders found the creek on their westward treks in the 1800s, they named it "Riviere 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. [Tourism Swift Current]

The settlement of Swift Current was begun 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. On September 21 1903, the hamlet became a village and then a town on March 15 1907 when a census indicated a population of 550. There is some dispute as to whether this is because they counted dogs in the population. Swift Current became incorporated as a city on January 15 1914.

The longest running business in Swift Current is the Imperial Hotel, also known as The Big I (Adorned on the wall of the building as The Big (picture of an eye)) It has been running since Swift Current became a town, as a hotel, and so there could be a bar. (Back then you needed a hotel to qualify for a liquor license) Today, the hotel still runs, but it is most popular as a bar/after hours liquor store.

Swift Current is home to the Swift Current Broncos, a hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. They play in the 3,000 seat Centennial Civic Centre in the east end of town. The team has raised some of the world's greatest hockey players to the professional level, such as Joe Sakic. The city is also home to Brad Wall, the leader of the Saskatchewan Party, which is currently the official opposition in the Saskatchewan Legislature.

Swift Current is sometimes known in Canadian slang as "Speedy Creek".

According to the Canada 2001 Census:

Population: 14,821 (-0.5% from 1996)
Land area: 24.03 km²
Population density: 616.8 people/km²
Median age: 40.4 (males: 38.7, females: 42.0)
Total private dwellings: 6,891
Mean household income: $40,711

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  North: Rosetown  
West: Maple Creek Swift Current East: Moose Jaw
  South: Grasslands National Park  

Saskatchewan
Census Divisions: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18
Cities: Estevan - Flin Flon (part) - Humboldt - Lloydminster (part) - Melfort - Melville - Moose Jaw - North Battleford - Prince Albert - Regina - Saskatoon - Swift Current - Weyburn - Yorkton
See also: List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
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