Born in Boston in 1848, George Swift came to Minnesota with his parents. At the age of 13, Swift enlisted as a drummer boy at Fort Snelling. During the War Between the States he marched through Georgia with General Sherman. In 1888, O.W. Newell and George E. Swift were named Justices of the Peace in the old Crystal Village. Swift’s drug store, erected in 1889, stood beside the meat market on West Broadway. In 1893 Swift installed the first telephone in Robbinsdale. Over the years he served as Robbinsdale’s Postmaster and Village Treasurer. Swift was also the first master of Compass Lodge 265. In 1908 he petitioned the Minnesota Railroad Commission and submitted testimony in support of better service at the local depot. Swift played a mean saxophone and became the director of the Robbinsdale Military Band. In 1914, he sold his drug store to William Mueller. Mrs. Swift was active in the Library Club and was a leader in Robbinsdale’s sewing circles during World War I. After 87 years of an active and patriotic life, George Swift passed away in 1936.
