January 1979 – A period of rapidly rising energy prices began, triggered by political unrest in Iran. The resulting strong price environment created a positive climate for launching a new oil and gas company.

October 11, 1979 – Swift Energy Company was founded.

December 1979 – Swift Energy commenced its initial 10-well drilling program in West Virginia.  All 10 wells were eventually completed as successful gas producers.  The company's West Virginia operations marked its first experience with hydraulic fracturing of tight sands.

March 1981 – U.S. oil prices peaked at over $34 per barrel, followed by a gradual decline.

August 1981 – With the conclusion of its initial public offering, Swift Energy became a public company listed with the National Association of Securities Dealers.

October 1981 – Swift Energy made its first producing property acquisition in West Virginia's Barbour and Upshur counties.  Throughout its history the company has emphasized reserves growth through a mix of drilling and acquisition activities, with the specific blend of activities varying with changing industry conditions.

September 1983 – Swift Energy organized its first public limited partnership for the acquisition of producing properties. 

August 1984 – Swift Energy was first listed on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol SFY.

July 1986 – After several years of slow decline, U.S. oil prices collapsed to under $10 per barrel.

August 19, 1986 – Financial World magazine recognized Swift Energy as one of the fastest growing companies under $25 million in the United States.

May 1988 – Swift Energy began trading on the Pacific Stock Exchange.

May 1, 1989 – Swift Energy assumed operation of its initial properties in the AWP Olmos Area, which were acquired in two separate acquisitions in 1988 and early 1989.  In developing and operating this property, the company drew on its previous experience of producing from tight sands.

May 1, 1990 – Swift Energy assumed operation of a producing property located in the Weatherford Field of Oklahoma which the company had purchased in 1989.  Throughout the early 1990s, the Weatherford Field was one of the company's major producing properties.

October 1990 – In response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, NYMEX crude oil futures prices peaked at over $40 per barrel; however, with the conclusion of the Gulf War and the onset of slow economic growth, prices fell to less than $18 per barrel by January 1992.

July 1991 – Swift Energy began trading on New York Stock Exchange.  (It also continued to be listed on the Pacific Exchange until 2006.)

December 1991 to February 1992 – In response to a warm winter and slow economic growth, NYMEX natural gas prices fell to under $1.40 per MMBtu.

May 1992 – Swift Energy acquired significant additional interests in the AWP Olmos Field in South Texas, financed through a volumetric production payment agreement.

Fourth Quarter 1992 – Swift Energy drilled its first company-operated horizontal well, the Pietsch 1-H in Fayette county, Texas.

December 31, 1994 – Swift Energy made a strategic shift toward increased drilling, and for the first time in many years, additions to the company's proved reserves through exploration and development activities exceeded additions through the acquisition of producing properties.

July 12, 1995 – Swift Energy formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Swift Energy International Inc., whose mission is to pursue oil and gas opportunities outside of the United States.

October 1995 – Swift Energy was awarded a Petroleum Exploration Permit from the New Zealand Minister of Energy.

December 14, 1995 – The company formed its last public acquisition partnerships, marking a transition toward more traditional forms of financing.  As part of this same transition, Swift Energy sold 5.75 million shares of its common stock during the third quarter of 1995.

December 31, 1996 – For 1996, Swift Energy ranked 20th in stock price performance out of the approximately 2,900 companies listed on the NYSE.  Oil and gas sales rose 134% from the previous year, thanks to higher product prices and higher production rates. To help make these results possible, Swift drilled 123 development wells during the year in the AWP Area in South Texas.

January 1997 – Average U.S. oil prices rose substantially during 1995 and 1996, peaked in 1997 at $21.76 per barrel, and, then declined over the next two years. Natural gas prices also declined substantially throughout 1998 and into early 1999.

July 6, 1998 – Swift Energy announced its purchase of producing properties in the Masters Creek Area of Louisiana and the Brookeland Area of East Texas – an acquisition that was, at the time, the largest in the company’s history.  Swift’s experience with horizontal drilling played a major role in successfully developing these properties.

December 1998 – Average U.S. oil prices bottomed out at a little over $8 per barrel.  In response to low energy prices, U.S. drilling activity declined substantially.

December 1999 – Swift Energy successfully completed the Rimu-A1 discovery well in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand.

December 11, 2000 – Low rig rates, cool winter weather, and rapid economic growth drove NYMEX natural gas futures prices over $9 per MMBtu. Only months before, NYMEX oil prices had peaked at over $37 per barrel.

December 31, 2000 – The company ranked 15th in stock price performance on the NYSE for the year 2000.

December 31, 2000 – With an improved industry climate, Swift had both record revenues and record earnings in 2000. Proved reserves in the company's Masters Creek Area more than doubled, and drilling in New Zealand continued.

March 1, 2001 – Swift's purchased interests in the Lake Washington Field in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

December 31, 2001 – A dive in product prices prompted a $98.9 million writedown on Swift's year-end domestic assets and resulted in a net loss of $22.3 million for the year. The company initiated drilling in the Lake Washington Field and prepared for commercial production in New Zealand with the construction of its Rimu Production Station.

February 2002 – Swift Energy revised its strategy in order to successfully operate in a new industry environment. The company limited its domestic exploratory drilling and directed its development drilling in the U.S. to projects with lower risk and lower costs, primarily in the Lake Washington Field.

May 2002 – Swift Energy began commercial production in New Zealand, less than two and a half years after the company's initial Rimu discovery.

December 31, 2003 – As prices continued to rebound from 2002 lows, Swift Energy enjoyed operational and financial success. By year-end 2003, Swift’s stock price had increased 74% compared to the end of 2002.

October 11, 2004 – Swift Energy Company celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 11, 2004. In observance of that event, Chairman A. Earl Swift of Swift Energy Company sounded the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange on November 8, 2004.

December 31, 2004 – Swift Energy marked a second straight year of outstanding performance.  The company’s common stock closed the year at $28.94 per share, 72% above the closing stock price at end of 2003.

January 2005 – Swift Energy completed the acquisition of interests in the Cote Blanche Island Field in St. Mary’s Parish, Louisiana, and in Bay de Chene Field in Lafourche and Jefferson Parishes, Louisiana. 

August 29, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Swift’s Lake Washington properties.

September 23, 2005 – Hurricane Rita made landfall near the border between Texas and Louisiana.

October 2005 – By early October, Swift Energy restored production at its Lake Washington Field in Louisiana to approximately 80% of pre-Katrina levels.  Production from Swift’s Masters Creek Field in Louisiana and its Brookeland Field in Texas was restored to 100% of pre-Rita levels shortly thereafter.

November 2005 – Swift Energy closed an acquisition of interests in South Bearhead Creek Field in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. 

October 2006 – Swift Energy closed its purchase of interests in three fields in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana: Bayou Sale, Horseshoe Bayou, and Jeanerette. In that same acquisition Swift obtained interests in the Bayou Penchant Field (a nonoperated field) in Terrebonne Parish and in the High Island Field in Cameron Parish.

October 2007 – Swift Energy completed its acquisition of interests in three South Texas properties: the Sun TSH area in La Salle County, the Briscoe Ranch area primarily in Dimmit County, and the Las Tiendas area in Webb County.

December 2007 – Swift Energy signed an agreement to sell the majority of its international operations in New Zealand.  Swift closed the sale of substantially all of its New Zealand assets in June 2008.

July 1, 2008 – Swift Energy’s common stock closed at an all-time high of $67.03 per share.

July 11, 2008 – Crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange reached all-time high of $147.27 per barrel.  For the month as a whole, closing prices averaged $134 per barrel.  By February 2009, average monthly prices had fallen over 70% to $39.17.

September 1, 2008 – Hurricane Gustav made landfall approximately 35 miles from Swift’s Bay de Chene Field and about 50 miles from Swift’s Lake Washington Field.

September 13, 2008 – Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, Texas, resulting in the temporary shutdown of Swift’s corporate headquarters in Houston.  That same week, credit markets froze, causing a steep decline in the U.S. stock market and deepening the recession that had begun in December 2007.

October 2008 – Production resumed for most Swift properties following hurricanes Gustav and Ike.  The most notable exception was the Bay de Chene Field, which was significantly upgraded in the aftermath of the storms.

December 31, 2008 – The combination of recession and collapsing energy prices triggered a $473.1 million writedown of Swift’s oil and gas properties at the end of 2008, resulting in an annual net loss from continuing operations of $8.39 per diluted share.  As oil and gas prices continued to fall during 2009, a second writedown of $50 million was required at the end of the first quarter.

April 6, 2009 – Swift Energy began production from the R. Bracken 33H well, the first horizontal well drilled in the Olmos sand of Swift’s AWP Field.  Blending horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology, the well was fractured in nine different locations along its 3,530-foot lateral leg.

August 10, 2009 – Swift Energy closed an offering of 6,210,000 Shares of Common Stock.

August 31, 2009 – By the end of August, Swift’s monthly average stock price had increased almost 200% from its low in March 2009.

October 11, 2009 – Swift Energy Company celebrated its 30th anniversary in a strong position for future growth.