Gae Gunilla (Julia) Johanneson was born June 30, 1881, in Tännäs, Sweden. She immigrated to the United States in 1900. She married Christian Swanson in South Dakota in 1901. Their eldest daughter, Ida, moved to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in 1922. Julia and her youngest daughter, Florence, eventually settled in Swift Current as well, and Florence attended school there. Julia lived in Swift Current until 1966, when she went to live with Florence in Waldeck, Saskatchewan. She died on September 20, 1969, and is buried at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Swift Current.

John William Swanson was born October 8, 1901, in what is now New Effington, North Dakota. He married Kathleen May MacLeod on November 5, 1931, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. John died May 8, 1964, and is buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Moose Jaw.

Ida Matilda Swanson was born January 5, 1903, in New Effington, North Dakota. She moved to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in 1922, and married Charles "Walter" Anderson in November 1932.

Florence Viola Swanson was born July 5, 1917, on the homestead south of Cadillac, Saskatchewan. Florence and her mother settled in Swift Current sometime after 1922, and Florence attended school there. She married Gordon O. Johnson on October 26, 1937, and lived on the Johnson homestead in Waldeck, Saskatchewan. In 1966, her mother moved in and remained there until her death in 1969.

Emil Alexander Swanson was born September 28, 1904. His twin brother, Edwin Garfield, died of illness in February 1913. Emil lived at the family farm south of Cadillac, Saskatchewan, until his death in 1937.

Christian Swanson was born August 6, 1859, in Härjedalen, Sweden. He moved to the United States ca. 1880 with his brothers Peter and Sven and settled in New Effington, South Dakota. Christian married Julia Johanneson the following year in Sisseton, South Dakota. In 1910, they moved to Hankinson, North Dakota. Two of their children died of illness in February 1913. On May 15, 1913, the Swansons and their remaining three children arrived at their new homestead 15 miles south of Cadillac, Saskatchewan. After Julia and their youngest daughter settled in Swift Current, Christian continued to live on the farm with his son Emil but moved in with his eldest son John and his family in Milestone, Saskatchewan, after Emil’s death in 1937. He would spend summers with his daughters in Swift Current. Christian died on January 31, 1955, and is buried in the Beaver Valley Cemetery.

Curator and Director of the Swift Current Film Society from September 1998 to December 1999

George Spence, C.B.E. (October 25, 1880 – March 4, 1975) was a Canadian provincial and federal politician. Born in Birsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland, he studied electrical engineering at the Leith Academy Technical College and emigrated to Canada in 1900 to pan for gold in the Yukon. In 1903, he moved to Austin, Manitoba where he was a farmer. In 1912, he moved to Monchy, Saskatchewan. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in 1917 for the riding of Notukeu. A Liberal, he was re-elected in 1921 and 1925. He resigned his provincial seat in 1925 and was elected in the 1925 federal election in the riding of Maple Creek. A Liberal, he was re-elected in the 1926 federal election. He resigned his seat in 1927 to re-enter provincial politics, where he was appointed Minister of Railways. He was also Minister of Highways, Minister of Railways, Labour and Industries, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Public Works. He would serve until 1938 when he was appointed Director of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. From 1947 to 1957, he was a member of the International Joint Commission, an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the International Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. In 1946 he was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1948. In 1974, he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.