Swamp coolers are great in the low humidity west! We used them many times in the 1960s. In the humid South they cause mold and mildew problems. Hard candy does not stay hard long with one of them.
Yep, in the humid South, whole-house fans handled the pre-A/C residential cooling chores. Just crack a few windows open an inch or so each and turn the fan on - the air flow was enough to make the house comfortable. It cooled the attic as well, by exhausting air through the soffit vents.