Pepin County, Wisconsin: History
Pepin County was formed in the year 1858 from portions of neighboring Dunn County. Both the town of Pepin (originally named North Pepin in 1856), and the village of Pepin were named after Lake Pepin, a broadening of the Mississippi River between Pepin County and the Counties of Goodhue and Wabasha in the state of Minnesota. The lake itself is likely named for one or more of the Pepin families from the French Canadian city of Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Canada. Several Pepins appear in the early records, including the senior figure Guillaume dit Tranchemontagne and his descendants Pierre and Jean Pepin du Chardonnets. One or both of the latter may have accompanied Daniel Greysolon, the Sieur du Lhut, from Montreal to what is now Duluth, Minnesota, in 1679. Exactly when the body of water was first named Pepin is not known, but the name has been used as early as 1700, making it by far one of the oldest recorded place names in Wisconsin. The name was well accepted by the mid-1760s when Jonathan Carver wrote in his journal, "Arrived at Lake Pepin called by some Lake St. Anthony."
The North Pepin Independent 1856-1857 was the first newspaper in Pepin County. Pepin county is located on the Western border of Wisconsin. Also known as The Pepin Independent, it was founded December 24, 1856, by U.B. Shaver until June 20, 1857. It was distributed weekly in North Pepin County and Dunn County in Wisconsin. Volume 1 consisted of 23 issues and volume 2 included. The North Pepin Independent was suspended within a year, but was revived in April 1858, by E.W. Gurley and E.B. Newcomb. In the following year of October 1859, it was again suspended. The North Pepin Independent had a brief existence but is available on microfilm from The State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
The 4 page North Pepin Independent was a reporter of the time, the people, and the county. The opening page covered advertisements, business cards, news updates, and election results. The second page started filling up with articles, mostly written by local community members. The third page was continued articles and the location of advertisements, many of which were for local stores. One could also find help wanted and things for sale on the third page. The final page had more advertisements and the newspaper contributors had their own sections to talk about their opinions.