Around 1910, 26 year-old Anthony and Johanna Rigoni arrived in Ironwood from Asiago Italy. Johanna turned her house into a boarding house, Anthony worked in the mines. 200 pints of moonshine and homebrew were harvested every 4 days for sale. In 1926 Johanna converted the boarding house into a multiple goods store.
Anthony died at the age of 52. In 1934, Johanna purchased a beer license and thus began Rigoni's Inn. Her son, Reno, took over the bar business a year later and in 1943 purchased a liquor license.
Rigoni's Famous fish fry started in 1952 with perch as the main fish served for 35 cents a meal. In the beginning the total number of dinners served was 45-60, today the number surpasses 400, with haddock the featured fish.
Reno married Marion Malmberg and together they raised 11 children. His son Brian jointly managed the bar with Reno until 1999 when Reno's daughter Toni took over the operation. In November 2016 Toni handed over the keys to niece Kerry, Rigoni's 4th generation owner. 2024 marks the 90th year of this family legacy.
