During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many new immigrants from Europe were coming and settling in America. They tended to settle in groups (much as immigrants do today) because the presence of others from their home country, speaking their home language, helped make the transition easier.
Minnesota has many communities with their history tied to the immigration of a specific ethnic group. Germans in New Ulm, Poles in Northeast Minneapolis, Swedes in Lindstrom, and so on. Ely is no different.
Ely caught the eye of arriving Finns and Slovenians and they became a strong influence on local culture, as evidenced still today by things such as the many saunas and the active chapter of the Slovenian Union of America. One of the traditions that the Slovenes brought to Ely was the pious custom of Easter Zegen. “Zegen” roughly translates to “blessing” and is the practice of bringing a basket of Easter foods to the church to be blessed.
