This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Lampman, Shedd, Morse, Livingston, Knapp Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/BFC.2ACE/301.2.2 Message Board Post: The village of Pepin, in Pepin County, was settled in 1846. It was initially known as a steamboat boomtown familiar to Mark Twain and wealthy Chicago socialites who spent their summers nearby at the awe inspiring Lake Pepin. Plotted in 1856, Pepin was laid out at the foot of Lake Pepin. The village and Lake Pepin take their name from the Pepin brothers, two of the first French trappers in the area much earlier. Lake Pepin was discovered in 1680 by Father Louis Hennepin. when he discovered the beautiful lake in the Mississippi River he called it the "Lake of Tears". The village and Lake Pepin get their names from the Pepin brothers, who were two of the first French trappers in the area. What is now called Lake Pepin is a 22-mile long lake formed by the delta of the Chippewa River flowing into the Mississippi River. A small town across from Pepin and farther downstream was the place where most large log rafts were assembled from smaller rafts and send down the Mississippi River. Many carpenters and laborers were required to put these rafts together, for shipping to as far away as St. Louis, MO. The major reason many came to Pepin Co. is opportunity and work. I have ancestprs that were here in the mid-late 1840's after WI became a state. Land Grants were available, as were timber grants. Pepin County like LaCrosse County were two of the prime pineries, as well as access via the Chippewa River to Menomonie on the Red Cedar and Eau Claire on the upper Chippewa River also. Large numbers of families cut wood for the logging industry, but a vital part also was the hardwood fuel industry required to keep the steamboats, paddleboats and related water craft moving with their cargoes. Prior to 1870, there were few railroads in the western part of Wisconsin. Eau Claire had a line, but LaCrosse, WI had the first one from Milwaukee sometime around 1850. This made LaCrosse a jumping off grounds for many NY, VT and Scandinavian families. I have an 18 page manuscript of one of my families describing the trip from Marquette Co., WI to LaCrosse in the 1850's via ox and wagon! . Farming became the subsequent occupation along with the work in the woods, but by 1900 all but isolated areas of the timber industry had moved much father north and west into northern Minnesota. The railroads took over much of the work of the paddlewheelers. Although packet steamers were still plying the Mississippi River until the mid 1930's whe bridges were built at Nelson, WI to Wabasha, MN and the Hasting, MN bridge. Before and after the Civil War, many families headed west as my Lampman family. Some were in easter Wisconsin as soon as the mid 1840's, and most the rest of their relatives came by the mid-1860's. The greatest influx of people was during this time frame. The same is true of parts of Pierce Co. to the west and north. Cities that flourished then, are mere villages of artisans and crafts along with local businesses today. It was a great place to live. My grandmothers journals speak of sleigh rides in the snow to Ella, Pepin, Porcupine, Frankfort and other places for dances and all. I personally think the largeste draw after the initial residents was the invitiation of relatives to come to Pepin Co. also. Still the biggest draw, the woods and work of Wisconsin. I hope this helps you somewhat. Greg Lampman