Places have personality and one of the exciting things about visiting ghost towns and abandoned rural sites is that, in the quiet, one can get a sense of them. The old general store is one that has a warm feeling, with its history not too far behind - and like the old beverage signs still clinging to the sides of the building, it is easily discerned by those who might pay attention.
Swords, originally Maple Lake Station, was established in the mid-1800’s for lumbering interests, however, the town really didn’t come in to its own until the arrival of the Booth railway in the 1890’s. The general store was built by the Ludgate Lumber Company in 1894 in order to support the expansion of both lumbering and homesteading in the area. The store became the post office as well in 1897 and with the railway had a short boom era. It was purchased by Thomas Sword in 1900 when the lumber company began to sell its holdings.
Thomas ran the store until his death in 1921 and his widow, Lyde, continued
with it until 1930. Lyde had issue with the use of tobacco for a time refused
to sell it until competition forced her to choose business over principle.
A gas pump was added in 1928.
The store was the hub of the community and the source of pretty much everything
a resident might need. The town’s fortunes were at their height from 1900 until
1930 when the traffic from the railway and the lumber began to decline. The
station was closed in 1946 and trains stopped altogether in the mid-50’s.
Most of the town quickly faded away and left only the general store, supporting
only a very few clients. The town’s fate was finally sealed when in 1967, the
post office contract was replaced with rural postal routes and the store was
forced to close.
Today, there is little to see of the Ghost Town of Swords and the forest is slowly reclaiming what remains. The old general store is the last building standing and is in remarkable shape for a frame building of its era. It is unclear as to whether or not the residential part of the building is used seasonally.