Swift

Formed February 18, 1870 (72^nd county)

Swift County (9,835), Benson (3,481)

The classic 1898 red/brown brick and stone Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse is at the intersection of 14^th Street, Idaho Avenue, 15^th Street, and Nevada Avenue.  Minnesota State Highway 29 is 14^th Street.  Buechner and Jacobson are the architects of this towered courthouse.  The building was renovated in 1976 and 2018.  A Law Enforcement Center was added in 1985.  The county was established on February 18, 1870 from Chippewa County as the 72^nd county with Benson as the only county seat.  The county is named for Governor Henry A. Swift.  The county seat is named for settler Ben H. Benson.  Swift County was the birthplace of 1 Minnesota Governor, Elmer A. Benson. 

Swift County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer, an auditor, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Nine District Court Judges serve Swift, Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine counties (judicial.) The county is in the western part of the state.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is southeast and Sioux Falls, South Dakota is southwest of the county.  The county center is 10.6 miles Southwest of Benson nearer Danvers.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pope, Kandiyohi, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Big Stone, and Stevens counties. 

The area of the county is 743.5 square miles.  It is 35 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 68 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 13.2 persons per square mile making it 67 out of 87 in the state.  Swift County has 65.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 12 passes through the county east to west from Kandiyohi County to Big Stone County.  United States Highway 59 goes north to south from Stevens County to Chippewa County.  The county is a flat rectangle.  Benson is located in the northern third of the county.  Benson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 35.4% of the county population.