Pepie, The Lake Pepin Monster: The Story and What Is True

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Pepie, the Lake Pepin Monster is a story told about Lake Pepin, Lake City, Wabasha County. Vote believe it or no way, then see what 2 named sources say is documented.

LegendKind of story
2Named sources
South Lakes and Bluff CountryRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

The Story
Its Home
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Local legend. Not confirmed. Just for fun.

No. 16 of 24

Pepie, The Lake Pepin Monster

People say a long, serpent-like creature lives in the deep water of Lake Pepin, the wide stretch of the Mississippi River beside Lake City. Boaters and shoreline visitors have talked about strange shapes in the water for well over a century. The creature has been given a friendly name, Pepie, and Lake City treats the search for it as a point of local pride. A cash reward is advertised for good proof. So far, as far as we could find, nobody has collected it.

What The Sources Document

The Visit Lake City tourism page says the Minnesota Historical Society's Book of Days Almanac records that a lake monster was seen swimming on Lake Pepin on April 28, 1871. We read that date on the Lake City page; we did not find the almanac entry itself, so we treat it as reported by the tourism office. The same page says the captain of the paddle-wheeler Pearl of the Lake reports seeing Pepie, and that a $50,000 reward is offered for a hooked, netted or photographed Pepie, with an authentic photo, a bit of fin or skin, or DNA confirmed by a University of Minnesota biologist. The page does not say who is paying the reward and does not report any confirmed capture or photo. The Minnesota DNR page on Lake Pepin describes a natural lake of about 29,295 acres, roughly 21 miles from Red Wing to Alma, Wisconsin, formed when sediment from the Chippewa River delta backed up the Mississippi. That page does not mention a monster. Whether anything lives there beyond ordinary fish is unproven.

Sources: Search for Pepie (Visit Lake City, city tourism office); Lake Pepin (Minnesota DNR).

A Note

A local legend told for fun. Not confirmed: the April 28, 1871 almanac date, which we read only second-hand. Native oral stories about the lake are not told here.

Its home: Visit Lake City. Official page.

On this site: Wildlife, South Lakes and Bluff Country Events.

Looked for and Not Found

A Minnesota DNR mention of a lake monster
A report that the reward was ever paid

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Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Search for Pepie (Visit Lake City, city tourism office); Lake Pepin (Minnesota DNR).

Sources

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “Pepie, The Lake Pepin Monster”, itsminnesota.com/legends/pepie-lake-pepin-monster/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.