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From the marina, Lake and Main Streets climb
the hill to Highway 35, also known as the
Great River Road,
and then stretch across the sand prairie upon
which early hopefuls thought a city to rival
Milwaukee would one day rise. Luckily for
the surrounding countryside, it did not! Many
visitors and some of the village's 900 residents
chose the area's rural peacefulness to escape
larger cities. |
Pepin is a quiet, bustling village of approximately
900 residents. Farming is still a prime industry.
Tourism is strong, due to the area's natural resources
as well as the amenities within the village itself.
Commercial fishing, which was discontinued in the
1970's due to pollution, is now making a modest
comeback. During the 1970's Pepin resident Dorothy
Hill received national recognition as the leader
of the Citizens for a Clean Mississippi organization,
which helped create legislation that resulted in
a dramatic recovery of Lake Pepin's water-quality.
Most of Pepin's businesses are now scattered around
the blocks between Hwy. 35 and the riverfront. Visitors
can enjoy fine or casual dining; accommodations
that range from economical to extraordinary; galleries;
artist's studios; antique shops; and summer stock
theatre. Many of these businesses have settled comfortably
into Pepin's original buildings, which has helped
retain the charming village ambiance. Commercial
activities are expanding as well, with additional
interest being generated by a new industrial park.
The main attraction of the water today is recreation,
whether it's on Lake Pepin, the Chippewa River or
the winding sloughs of the Chippewa backwaters.
Hikers in the nearby Tiffany Wildlife Area can wander
the logging roads or follow the old wagon trails
which are kept clear by the Wisconsin DNR. Walking-tour
maps of the village of Pepin are available at the
Laura Ingalls Wilder museum. Treat yourself to a
leisurely stroll and our historic architecture while
acquainting yourself with friendly townspeople and
shop keepers!
Pepin also offers cozy lodging to house the weary
traveler. You may extend your visit by checking
into a charming local motels or one of the several
beautifully-restored bed and breakfast establishments.
If camping is your style, a fully-equipped seasonal
campground is available to accommodate tents, campers
and motor homes.
If you visit Pepin by boat, overnight dockage with
full hook-up, showers and rest rooms is available
at the marina. Dan's Pepin Marina now shelters over
150 sail- and power-boats where the steamboats of
yesteryear docked. A stroll along the breakwaters
features breathtaking sunrises and sunsets over
the lake. The steamboat era hasn't entirely passed
by, however; several times a year impressive paddle
wheelers such as the American Queen, Mississippi
Queen and the Delta Queen transit Lake Pepin carrying
tourists between Minneapolis/St. Paul and ports-of-call
down river. They create tremendous interest on the
waterfront!
The combination of charm, beauty and location has
made the village of Pepin a Lake Pepin gateway for
cultural activities, sightseeing, shopping, boating
and fishing, hunting, swimming, biking and hiking,
cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing…
or simply relaxing and absorbing the area's timeless
beauty and serenity. Perhaps that's why poet William
Cullen Bryant said: "Lake Pepin ought to be
visited by every poet and painter in the land."
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| Pepin
History: |
The charming
village of Pepin, perched at the foot of Lake
Pepin, has served as home to a fascinating
variety of "citizens" that range
from the Dakota Sioux to today's inhabitants,
who are a mix of longstanding residents; families
from surrounding farms; and a steady influx
of new folks who have moved here to start
a business or simply to escape the pressures
of city life and enjoy the area's beauty and
cultural and recreational amenities.
The village of Pepin's first settler was John
McCain, who filed a land claim in 1844. Two
years later, he built a cabin with the help
of his cousin, W.B. Newcomb. In 1848, Lydia
Hicks earned the distinction of being the
first baby born in Pepin County.
The village was permanently platted in 1856
and took the lake's name. Pepin began to grow
steadily along the shoreline and inland toward
the bluffs as it benefited from a booming
lumber industry that was harvesting Wisconsin
and Minnesota's immense stands of White Pine.
Log rafts, some containing as much as ten
million board-feet of lumber, were floated
down the St. Croix and Chippewa Rivers, and
then pushed by steamboats down the Mississippi.
In 1846, 41 steamboats plied the waters of
Lake Pepin: by 1850, 1060 paddle-wheelers
navigated the area each season. The lumber
supplies were exhausted by the early 1900's,
and the last log raft left Lake Pepin in 1915.
In the late 1800's, Pepin also benefited from
a unique bounty harvested directly from the
lake: the local fresh water mussels and clams
were of great value for buttons and pearls.
Approximately one-in-one-hundred contained
pearls, with one-in-ten-thousand yielding
a perfectly-round jewel. By the 1940's, the
demand for pearl buttons was gone, and the
industry declined, although you'll still find
a few treasure hunters on the lake each season.
The village continued to grow as commercial
fishing and farming also contributed to the
local economy. The first newspaper, the Pepin
Independent, was published in 1856, and the
local school opened the following year. In
1886, the railroad came through, right along
the shore and next to First Street, which
caused many businesses to move up to Second
Street, in part because the trains frightened
the horses! Passenger service was discontinued
in the 1960's, but the village has preserved
the historic depot, which now serves as a
museum from its location in the middle of
town on Wisconsin State Highway 35.
While the rivers and railroads were the primary
modes of transportation, there was also a
road with stage-line service to Chippewa Falls,
approximately 60 miles away. The round-trip
journey took two days, and a one-way fare
was $3.00.
During the 1870's, Pepin's most famous resident,
beloved children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder,
lived here with her family. Her days in Pepin
are recounted in the book "Little House
in the Big Woods." She is honored by
a museum in the village and a reconstructed
cabin at her birth site, just seven miles
north of Pepin on County Road CC. There, you'll
find a guest book that contains signatures
from around the world.
Her books are brought to life each September
during Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, a weekend
celebration attended by approximately 5,000
people. The two-day event features a Laura
look-alike contest; a craft bazaar; an old-fashioned
spelling bee; historic reenactments and demonstrations
of work and leisure activities from that period;
and a parade to highlight the festivities.
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