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Pepin County
Attractions
Pepin
County, though Wisconsin's second smallest county, is one of the
state's most colorful and historic vacation destinations! Pepin
County is bordered by and named for Lake Pepin, a 28-mile long,
3-mile wide spectacularly beautiful and tranquil body of water
formed where the delta of the Chippewa River flows into the mighty
Mississippi,
Nestled in the
hills along the Chippewa and Mississippi Rivers, Pepin County
features fabulous scenery and a wide variety of year 'round recreational
and leisure time activities. The steep hills and deep valleys
have a quiet, wild beauty that has inspired artists and writers
for more than a century, including Mark Twain and William Cullen
Bryant, a late 19th century visitor, who wrote, Lake Pepin ...
"ought to be visited in the summer by every poet and painter
in the land." The Rochester Post-Bulletin praised the county's
charm, editorializing that "Pepin and Stockholm, tucked between
the bluffs and river are blessed with one of the more scenic settings
in the Midwest. And ... they are relatively untouched by the kind
of crass commercial development that turns charm into a curse."
The New York Times travel editor wrote of Pepin County, "This
back county has an untouched quality, as if is dreaming of early
pioneer days, when the wilderness came down to the edge of the
fields."
The furbearing
animals that first attracted the French settlers remain abundant
throughout Pepin County. More than 50,000 acres of public hunting
lands are available within fifteen miles of Durand, the county
seat. Remote river bottoms, rugged bluffs and hillsides present
a tough challenge to the most experienced hunter. For deer and
duck, Pepin County is one of the state's best; turkey and grouse
are plentiful. Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, muskrat, beaver,
and fox are also abundant. Even black bear can be found here.
Fish are also
abundant in Pepin County. The fast-moving Chippewa River, and
the quiet, but deep, Lake Pepin are habitat to more than a dozen
species of' large and small game fish including northern pike,
walleye, small and large mouth bass, panfish, trout, and catfish.
Local outfitters provide tackle and bait, boats, motors and up-to-date
information about fishing conditions.
Pepin County is
the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the setting for "Little
House In The Big Woods", the first of her internationally
acclaimed chronicles of growing up in young America. The people
of Pepin County remember and pay tribute to their most famous
daughter with a reconstruction of the log house Charles "Pa"
Ingalls built here in 1863 and where Laura was born in 1867. Her
life is remembered also at the Pepin Historical Laura Ingalls
Wilder Museum; and at annual "Laura Ingalls Wilder Days"
festivals where "Little House" fans from around the
world gather on the third full weekend in September to visit her
birthplace and share their enjoyment of her work.
The area's historic
past is also remembered and preserved in vintage buildings rising
from the river to the bluffs of picturesque frontier river towns.
Museums and 19th century bed and breakfast inns, railroad depots
and commercial buildings, on the sites of 17th century fur-trading
posts, capture the feel of the historic past. There are also historic
frontier day re-enactments, great riverboats with steam calliopes
a'whistling their arrival and departure, Old World churches built
by 19th century immigrants, 100 year-old round barns, horse-powered
transportation, 19th century farming practices, lantern-lighted
windows, traditional dress and customs of the county's Amish communities.
Pepin County's
wildflowers are as numerous and diverse as the County's varied
physical characteristics. Amateur nature lovers and naturalists
who explore the area's uplands and lowlands, open prairies and
deep, wooded ravines, sharp bluffs and river bottom habitats delight
in discovering yellow ladyslipper, trillium, showy orchids, maidenhair
fern, pasque flower, blazing star, blue-eyed grass and hundreds
of other varieties of spectacular, delicate, and rare species
of wildflowers and the equally delicate, unusual and rare beetles
and butterflies attracted to them.
Outdoor enthusiasts
are offered many different recreational opportunities in Pepin
County, including cycling the rolling hills, forests and prairies,
hiking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and skiing through fairytale
gorges, across open prairies, along rushing streams under leafy
canopies, through magnificent hardwood forests, and around towering
bluffs. The county's inland lakes, rivers and streams provide
miles and miles of canoeing and kayaking trails, from lazily drifting,
easy paddling beginners' routes to the more challenging, rushing
waters of the Chippewa River. Lake Pepin invites sailors, power
boaters and floatboat captains as well as kayakers, sailboarders
and canoeists to join the eagles and egrets on its waters; and
swimmers are never far from refreshing waters anywhere in the
county.
Pepin County's
art galleries, antique shops, specialty gift and collectible boutiques
delight browsers and reward serious treasure hunters with unexpected
"finds" from Native American artifacts to contemporary
gifts and artworks. Several Amish communities invite backcountry
travelers to browse and sample their handmade furniture, quilts,
and handicrafts.
When it comes
to dining, "Pepin County has a personality all its own including
... culinary experiences that rival big cities" the Milwaukee
Journal once informed its readers. Pepin County's restaurants,
bars, cafes, delis, coffee houses, bed and breakfast inns, dining
rooms and fast food outlets feature a wide range of foods served
in a variety of settings. Diners can choose from fine Italian,
Norwegian, Continental, Classic American and Frontier Style Cuisine
served in historic 19th Century settings, river front dining rooms,
authentic Old World cafes and excursion boats. For casual meals,
area fast food outlets, coffee houses, taverns and bars offer
carry-out or eat-in pub burgers and fries, Mexican specialties,
made-to-order sandwiches, pastries hot from the oven and desserts
to tempt the most discerning palate.
Pepin County travelers
also enjoy a broad range of lodging accommodations, including
semi-wilderness campsites in the Tiffany Wildlife Area, full service
RV Resort campgrounds, housekeeping resort cottages, luxurious
19th century bed and breakfast inns, a 19th century hotel, and
contemporary, full service and economy hotels and motels.
For unspoiled
natural beauty, one of the most scenic areas you will ever discover,
come and enjoy Pepin County!
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Parks and Nature Centers
Upper Mississippi
River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Mississippi
River, Onalaska
608-783-8405
With more than three million people annually who come to fish,
boat, hike, birdwatch, hunt, sightsee or just relax, the Upper
Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is one of
the country's largest and most visited refuges! Established in
1924, the 200,000-acre, 260-mile-long Upper Mississippi refuge
features more than 265 bird species, 57 species of mammals, 35
species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 100 species of fish.
No wonder this refuge is a nature-lovers wonderland! Special attractions
along the La Crosse county shore of the river include boat and
canoe rentals, the Long Lake and Goose Island canoe trails, with
observation points at major pull-offs denoted by interpretive
refuge signs. Displays of refuge wildlife are found at the US
Fish and Wildlife Service visitors center, located at 555 Lester
Ave. in Onalaska. Open Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tiffany Wildlife
Area
Pepin County
Ten thousand years ago, rushing melted waters from the Wisconsin
Glacier created the fertile Chippewa River Valley and the delta
that now makes up the State of Wisconsin's Tiffany Wildlife Area.
Its 13,000 acres include one of the largest stands of bottomland
hardwood forests in the state and offers excellent whitetail deer
and waterfowl hunting, wildlife viewing and semi-wilderness canoeing,
hiking and camping.
Arkansaw Creek
Park
Pepin County
715-672-5709
This scenic park follows the sparkling waters of Arkansaw Creek
for a quarter mile as it rushes through a beautiful sandstone
dell.
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Museums and Historic Sites
Laura Ingalls
Wilder/Pepin Historical Museum
State Highway 35, Pepin
715-442-3011
This museum features artifacts from Pepin's past as well as items
relating to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the late 1800's pioneer life
captured in her charming auto-biographical novels. The Museum
also contains a gift shop well-stocked with memorabilia of the
era and Pepin's illustrious daughter. Attendants are on duty
from 10:00 am. to 5:00 pm. daily from May 15 through October 15.
Depot Museum
Great River Road, Pepin
715-442-3011
Ride through Pepin's colorful past with a "whistle stop"
at the Pepin Depot Museum's rich railroad and steamboat historical
displays.
Historic Pepin
Pepin
715-442-3011
Visitors will also find extremely interesting historic buildings
in the Village of Pepin; the Pepin Village Hall and Library Building
at 2nd and Pine Streets; and, the Old Masonic Building at 2nd
and Main Streets.
Little House
Wayside
Cty Hwy CC, Seven miles north of Pepin
715-442-3011
The birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder is commemorated by a reconstruction
of the log cabin Charles "Pa" Ingalls built here in
1864 -- the "Little House In The Big Woods" -- in which
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 and later memorialized in
her internationally acclaimed books on pioneer life.
Courthouse
Museum and Jail
Durand
715-672-5709
Standing in Durand, the current county seat, is the Old County
Courthouse and Jail. Listed on the National Register of Historic
Buildings, the restored 19th building no longer serves as the
seat of county government, and the jail and sheriff's quarters
no longer house prisoners; but visitors can enjoy viewing the
century-old keep and other historical exhibits on display in this
National Register treasure.
Durand Free
Library
Durand
715-672-5709
Built in 1906 with a donation from Andrew Carnegie, this National
Register Building was used as a library until 1996 and has been
remarkably well maintained.
Historic Durand
Durand
715-672-5709
In addition to the Old Courthouse and Free Library Buildings,
visitors to Durand will also find a number of 19th and early twentieth
century buildings and historic places including the Old Depot
Building at 4th Ave. West and Wells St.; The George Tarrant House
at 7th Ave. East and Madison St.; St. John's Lutheran Church at
3rd Ave. East and Montgomery St.; an Old Log Cabin in Tarrant
Park; the First Schoolhouse Building at 510 1st Ave. East, the
River Hills Community Church at 1st Ave. and Prospect St.; and,
Dorwin's Mill on Dorwin Road in the Town of Durand.
Historic Stockholm
Spring Street, Stockholm
715-672-5709
On Spring Street in the Village of Stockholm, which lies along
the Mississippi River north of Pepin, visitors will find a number
of historic sites, 19th and early 20th century buildings including
the Stockholm Institute and Old Post Office Museum, a Harness
Shop, the Merchants Hotel Building, a General Store, the Opera
House, a Blacksmith Shop, The Youngquist-Peterson Building and
the Bruchman Hotel Building. These vintage buildings now house
a museum, antique shops, art galleries, specialty shops, cafes
and more.
Historic Pepin
County
Pepin County
715-672-5709
Throughout the county, visitors will find historic markers and
buildings including two historic churches at Lund, Sabylund Lutheran
Church on Cty. Hwy. J and Mission Covenant Church on Cty. Hwy.
CC; Little Plum Schoolhouse on Cty. Hwy. N three miles southwest
on Ella; and, three fascinating ghost towns including Shoofly
(now called Ella) on Cty. Hwy. N; Porcupine on Cty. Hwys.
SS and D; and Tarrant at Cty. Hwys. A and B.
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Points of Interest
Maiden Rock
Bluff
Great River Rd., North of Stockholm
715-672-5709
Although the Village of Maiden Rock lies just across the Pepin
County line, the mythical Maiden Rock Bluff and its State Historical
Society Marker stand firmly within Pepin County. Legend holds
that the Dakota maiden, Winona, heartbroken at her father's refusal
to allow her to marry the man she loved, threw herself from the
edge of the bluff, which rises four hundred feet above Lake Pepin.
Point-No Point
Lake Pepin
715-672-5709
Across Lake Pepin in a northwesterly direction from Maiden Bluff
is Point-No Point, an optical illusion more readily seen (than
unseen) while traveling on the river itself. Mark Twain described
the phenomenon in his 1870's articles "Old Times on the Mississippi".
Twain recalled focusing his eyes on a sharp wooded point several
miles upstream and then watching it " ... melt away and fold
back into the bank."
Fort St. Antoine
Great River Rd., South of Stockholm
715-672-5709
A mile or two downriver from Stockholm, on a gently-sloped terrace
with a commanding view of the Great River, 300 years ago, Nicholas
Perrot took possession of all lands west of the Great Lakes "no
matter how remote" in the name of Louis XIV of France. For
the next century, the French dominated mining, trapping and trading
in the upper Mississippi River Valley. Legend has it that Perrot's
principal fort and trading post, Fort St. Antoine stood on this
site. Artifacts discovered during recent archeological investigations
verify French presence here during the 1700's.
Amish Settlement
Pepin County
Pepin County has a number of Amish settlements. Their black buggies
and horses can be seen on county roads throughout the year. Their
homes, farms, and farming methods are much as they have been for
generations. Relying only on horsepower, windpower and other
natural energy sources, 19th century agricultural practices, and
centuries-old traditional wisdom, the Amish families produce a
bountiful variety of goods and agricultural products. Signs posted
along county roads invite passersby to homesteads where Amish
families display and sell the fruit of their labors; dairy products
and baked goods, candy and leather crafts, toys, quilts, bentwood
furniture, whirly-gigs and more.
Round Barns
Pepin County
715-672-5709
From the late 1800's until the 1930's, round barns were the choice
of most progressive farmers. Built with the silo and hay chute
in the center for more efficient distribution of food and forage
to the surrounding animals, round barns saved labor and conserved
energy. These barns were usually covered with red tiles, sheet
metal and wood boards soaked in local creeks to render them pliable.
With the arrival of electricity, round barns were replaced by
rectangular structures, which provided the straight lines required
for piping for electric milkers and gutters for mechanical barn
cleaners.
Eau Galle River
Dam
Cty. Hwy D, Eau Galle
715-672-5709
The Eau Galle River flows through the heart of Pepin County before
it empties into the Chippewa. Up river and just north of the
Pepin County line, the Eau Galle River Dam is very much worth
viewing.
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Special Things To Do
Pepin Walking
Tour
Village of Pepin
715-442-3011
Stroll from one historic building to another guided by your Pepin
Walking Tour map, available from local merchants and online at
www.pepinwisconsin.com
Pepin County
Road Tour
Pepin County
715-672-5709
Travel from historic site to historic site over hills and prairies,
across lazy streams and rushing rivers, through forest and farmland
and see the 150 year-old Witness Tree, Little Plum Schoolhouse
and Little Plum Lutheran Church, Round Barns and Waterfalls. See
Amish farmers working their fields with teams of horses, Ghost
Towns and living history museums. Thrill to the flight of egrets
and eagles, be observed by whitetail deer peeking through the
trees, observe the cattle shyly peeking from their pastures, enjoy
the quiet beauty of this spectacular county surrounding you as
you travel the county's roads and highways. For road tour maps
and information contact area merchants or Pepin County Economic
Development, P.O. Box 39, Durand, WI 54736.
Great River
Road Loop
Wis. Hwy 35, Minn. Hwy 61
Follow the Great River Road, which runs along both sides of the
Mississippi, on Wis. Hwy 35 from Pepin to north of Bay City, across
the Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, south from Red Wing on
Minn Hwy. 61 to Wabasha, across the Mississippi to Nelson and
north on Wis. Hwy. 35 back to Pepin. The entire loop is about
65 miles long. The view will last a lifetime.
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