It is a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes and has no legal status as an incorporated municipality.

[6] The area was acquired by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (CCI) in 1902, which opened the Gwinn Mine in 1905.

[9] Manning emphasized Gwinn's connection to the surrounding environment by preserving many of the existing trees and planting new ones.

[9] The community became known as a "Model Town", a trace of which remains in the name for the local high school sports teams: the "Modeltowners".

[8] Cleveland-Cliffs began divesting itself of real estate in the town, and by 1946 had sold the last of the houses it owned.

[7] The original Swanzy, located further to the northeast in Forsyth Township, was the site of the Escanaba River Land & Iron Company.

Swanzy was a station on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and had a post office from October 1889 until December 1905.

The historic district encompasses the sections of Gwinn that were platted during the time Cleveland Cliffs was involved in the town's affairs.

[1] Recently Gwinn has experienced a boom of renovation and restoration taking place in the downtown area.