- Lake Pepin
Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Pepin
image_lake = LakePepinMississippiRiver2006-09-30.jpg
caption_lake = Lake from the Minnesota side
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location =Minnesota /Wisconsin
coords =
type =
inflow =Mississippi River
outflow =Mississippi River
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = convert|40|sqmi|km2|abbr=on
depth = convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on
max-depth =
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands =
cities = Lake City, Bay City, Pepin, Maiden Rock, Stockholm
frozen = winterLake Pepin is a naturally occurring
lake , and the widest naturally occurring part of theMississippi River . It is a widening of the river on the border betweenMinnesota andWisconsin . The formation of the lake was caused by the backup of water behind the sedimentary deposits of the Chippewa River's delta. It has a surface area of about convert|40|sqmi|km2 and an average depth of convert|18|ft|m.The first written history of the area documents a French fort (or fur post) built on its shores.
Fort Beauharnois was built in 1727 on lowlands and the fort was rebuilt in 1730 on higher ground. [http://www.mississippi-river.org/lakepepin.html]In 1890 it was the sight of one of the worst maritime disasters on the Mississippi and known as the
Sea Wing disaster when the Sea Wing ferry boat capsized in a bad storm killing 98 people. [ [http://www.hometownsource.com/features/SeaWingDisaster/SeaWing.html Sea Wing disaster ] ]In 1922,
Ralph Samuelson invented the sport ofwater skiing on the lake. The largest city on the waterfront is Lake City, Minnesota. The wide area of the lake stretches from Bay City, Wisconsin, in the north, down past Pepin, Wisconsin, in the south, with Pepin being just upstream from where the Chippewa River enters the Mississippi. The villages of Maiden Rock and Stockholm also border on the Wisconsin side, whileFrontenac State Park takes up a large part of the Minnesota side. There are threemarina s on the lake: the Lake City Marina, and Hansen's Harbor, both in Lake City, and Dan's Pepin Marina in Pepin, Wisconsin. There is also a private dock for the customers of the Pickle Factory restaurant in Pepin.Lake Pepin appears as the lake that Laura and her family visit in the "Going to Town" chapter of "Little House in the Big Woods," the first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series.
Sailboat s are common on the lake in summer.In the winter, there areice road s that cross the lake.Legends claim that the lake is home to a
lake monster , Pepie, which was first seen onApril 28 ,1871 . More recently, it has been photographed. [http://www.pepie.net/Photo_Gallery.html]References
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