Our village and Lake Pepin take their name from the Pepin brothers, two of the first French trappers in the area. The village was settled in 1846, and was initially known as a steamboat boomtown familiar to Mark Twain and wealthy Chicago socialites who summered on the lake.

This was the Ingalls Little House in the Big Woods. This is where the "sugaring off" and the honey and syrup making took place. It was also in Pepin where Laura received her rag doll, Charlotte, from Santa, and where she lived in an attic loft with Mary. They had lots of fun in the attic, playing among the pumpkin and squash, and other wonderful foods hanging from the ceiling.

There is also the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park, with a historical marker. Also, Lake Pepin is located here, and well worth visiting, for both the view and for collecting Lake Pepin pebbles just like Laura did in Little House in the Big Woods. The museum should not be missed, and they have many interesting artifacts on display, including a quilt given to the museum by Roger Lea MacBride.