Editing Swift Current (section)

==History==
[[File:SwiftCurrent.jpg|thumb|left|Halifax Provisional Battalion fording a stream near Swift Current, [[District of Assiniboia]], 1885]]

Swift Current's history began with [[Swift Current Creek]] which originates at [[Cypress Hills (Canada)|Cypress Hills]] and traverses {{convert|160|km}} of [[prairie]] and empties into the [[South Saskatchewan River]] at [[Lake Diefenbaker]]. The creek was a camp for [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] for centuries. The name of the creek comes from the [[Cree]], who called the South Saskatchewan River {{lang|cr|Kisiskâciwan,}} meaning "it flows swiftly". [[North American fur trade|Fur traders]] found the creek on their westward treks in the 1800s, and called it "rivière au Courant" (lit: "river of the current"). Henri Julien, an artist travelling with the [[North-West Mounted Police]] expedition in 1874, referred to it as "Du Courant", and Commissioner [[George Arthur French|George French]] used "Strong Current Creek" in his diary. While it took another decade before being officially recorded, the area has always been known as "Swift Current".<ref>[https://tourismswiftcurrent.ca/ Tourism Swift Current]</ref>

The settlement of Swift Current was established in 1883, after the [[Canadian Pacific Railway|CPR]] surveyed a railway line as far as Swift Current Creek. In 1882, initial [[Land grading|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.<ref>McGowan, Don C. ''The Green and Growing Years: Swift Current, 1907-1914''. Victoria: Cactus Publications, 1982.</ref> Other early industries included gathering [[bison]] bones for use in fertilizer manufacturing, the making of bone china and sugar refining. [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]] residents also ran a successful [[Red River ox cart]] "freighting" business along the [[Swift Current-Battleford Trail]] to [[Battleford]] until the late 1880s. During the [[North-West Rebellion|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 (place)|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 Frank E. West being the mayor at the time.

During [[World War II]], the United Kingdom was considered an unsuitable site for training pilots. The [[British Commonwealth Air Training Plan]] identified the Canadian Prairies, with their clear weather and great distance from enemy territory, as an ideal alternative. In 1941, the No. 39 Service Training Flying School was constructed east of Swift Current, hosting over one thousand servicemen at all times until its closure in March 1944.<ref name="SC History">{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftcurrent.ca/about-us/history-of-swift-current|website=City of Swift Current|access-date=September 11, 2020|title=History of Swift Current}}</ref> Today, the facility is maintained as the [[Swift Current Airport]], and 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.

Oil was discovered at Fosterton in 1952, 30 miles northwest of the city. This first well continued to pump oil for over 40 years. Since then, with almost 4,000 wells completed in the area, the [[Shaunavon Formation]] has yielded 500 million barrels in total production.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://growwithswiftcurrent.ca/natural-resources/|access-date=September 11, 2020|website=Grow with Swift Current|title=Natural Resources}}</ref>

Swift Current is affectionately known as "Speedy Creek", a [[synonym]]ous play on words. This phrase occurs in the name of many local businesses and organizations. As the primary service centre for most of Southwestern Saskatchewan, its name is also frequently contracted to "Swift" or "Swifty".