Thomas J. McGovern, an Irish immigrant who came to the United States in 1901, worked as a dairyman in the North Swansea area. By 1911 he owned his own dairy, the Princeton Farm Dairy, located at 5200 Adams Street. The 1920 Federal census shows McGovern, his wife Julia and children Raymond and Jewell, living on the Princeton Farm Dairy property along with two hired hands. This 1925 bungalow, built by McGovern and located a block away at 5200 Steele Street, was likely built to house his employees and those from neighboring dairies. As there was a concentration of small dairies located in the North Swansea area from the early 1900s through the 1950s, this appears to have been a smart investment. A 1911 full-page ad in the Rocky Mountain News lists eleven dairies located in the North Swansea area between East 52nd and East 54th Avenues. In 1947, McGovern sold 5200 Steele Street to Johannes E. Christiansen and his wife Mildred. Johannes "Joe" Christiansen was born in Denver in 1904, the son of Danish immigrants. He owned the nearby Model Farm Dairy, located at 5250 Cook Street.
