Pengilly, MN

About Pengilly

Pengilly is an unincorporated town located along the northern end of beautiful Swan Lake. The village was likely named after John (Jack) Pengilly, the first mayor of Ely and captain of the Chandler Mine in Ely, which opened in 1888. Another reference was to an early community physician, also named John Pengilly, but little is known about him other than a passing reference.

Notable people from Pengilly:

Lois Hall film and television actress. Her film career from 1948 to 2005 included starring roles in 1949’s Daughter of the Jungle, 1950’s Pirates of the High Seas, Sister Constance in 1991’s Dead Again, and 2000’s Gone in 60 Seconds. Among her television appearances were in The Lone Ranger, Adventures of Superman, Little House on the Prairie, Star Trek: The Next Generation, CSI, Cold Case, Six Feet Under, and The Unit.

Mike Peluso former NHL player from 1990 to 1998. Peluso signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks. After three seasons, he was picked in the expansion draft by the Ottawa Senators where he played one season. He was traded to the New Jersey Devils where he won three Stanley Cups. He later played with the St. Louis Blues and finished his career with the Calgary Flames.

Top Attractions

Swan Lake and the Swan Lake Country Club, which opened in 1929. The clubhouse was built in 1939.

History

Following the final retreat of glaciers from northeastern Minnesota approximately 10,000 years ago, native peoples migrated north and west. The Dakota people historically occupied the area. Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe/Anishinaabe), the most populous tribe in North America, migrated westward and the Dakota moved west of the Mississippi in the seventeenth century. There were periods of peace and conflict between the two tribes, but the stream of European American settlers into their territories resulted in conflict. The U.S. Government ultimately removed both tribes from their native territories and put them on reservations.

Fur trading between native peoples and French explorers flourished from the 1660’s onward. The first major industry was the wholesale logging of the entire northeastern (‘arrowhead’) portion of the state. Mining followed logging.

Pengilly was founded in 1908 and celebrated its centennial August 29-31, 2008. It began as a station of the Duluth, Missabe and Northern and Great Northern railroads. Early businesses included a brick company and general store. At one time there was a school and several other businesses. Nearby mines provided employment. The nearby, but now lost to history community of Cooley, once housed miners.

From 1970 to 1989, the Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) for deaf high school students was held at Swan Lake Lodge.

Events & Festivities

Annual Independence Day Boat Flotilla on Swan Lake

Services & Amenities

Pengilly/Swan Lake offers dining, a lodge with rental cabins, a campground, and a gas/convenience store