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HISTORY Located in a valley between the Duck Mountains and the Porcupine Mountains, the town of Swan River is close to the Saskatchewan border in west central Manitoba . The town is situated on the river called Swan River. The name is believed to have come from the black swans that used to frequent the area. The first permanent settlement dates back to 1770 when fur traders from both the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwest Company bought and sold goods by way of birch bark canoes. Henry Kelsey was the first explorer to see the area in 1690. In 1876, the band of the North West Mounted Police , the forerunner of the RCMP , made it's debut in what was later to become Swan River. The instruments used in the band were purchased by the 20 officers in the band and shipped from ''Winnipeg'' by dog sled. ''Winnipeg Free Press'', Tuesday, May 24, 2005. The first pioneers arrived in the Swan Valley through the Duck Mountains in 1897 and quickly developed the farming potential of the area. The proposed construction of a line of the Canadian Northern Railway was announced in 1898 and the town was founded in 1901 though it was little more than a post office at the time. Swan River was officially incorporated as a town in 1908. ECONOMY The economic base of the town lies in agriculture, and support industries for farming. Almost fifty percent of the surrounding area is under cultivation, most of which is seeded to grain, oilseeds and other specialty crops. There are also many mixed farms producing cattle, pigs and farm raised wild animals. Other major industries are health care, retail services (farming implements, etc), forestry, manufacturing and tourism. SPORTS Swan River is home to the Swan Valley Stampeders Ice Hockey team, who play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League . They play their games in the Swan River Centennial Arena. STATS Current population of the townsite according to Stats Canada is 4,032, and 2,923 people live in the rural municipality of Swan River. EVENTS Swan River hosts the Northwest Round-up and Exhibition on the last weekend in July annually. SOURCES
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