Swede Bend was never an official village or town and you won't find it on any map.

The name comes from the sweeping bend in the Des Moines River where the first Swedish immigrants settled in Hardin Township, Webster County, Iowa in 1849. The settlement grew quickly as more immigrants arrived and more migrated west from Illinois.

The Swede Bend settlement became the largest and most influential Swedish immigrant settlement in Iowa, spanning across three counties and more than ten townships.