Lake Pepin is a naturally occurring lake, the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River. It is a widening of the river on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. 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 40 square miles and an average depth of 18 feet. In 1922, Ralph Samuelson invented the sport of water skiing on the lake. The largest city on the waterfront is Lake City, Minnesota, though the wide area stretches from Bay City, Wisconsin in the north down just past Pepin, Wisconsin in the south, just upstream from where the Chippewa River enters the Mississippi. The cities of Maiden Rock and Stockholm also border on the Wisconsin side, while Frontenac State Park takes up a large part of the Minnesota side.

Sailboats are common on the lake in summer. In the winter, there are ice roads that cross the lake. The steamship Seawing tipped over on the lake near Lake City in the early 1900's, killing many on aboard - mostly women and children. The following is a list of survivors taken from a Red Wing newspaper dated July 14, 1890:

Axel Nelson, August Olson, Frank Way, Trenton, W. Sparks, Trenton, Oscar Forssell, C.A. Johnson, Henry Luft, W. Boner and son, G.A. Thompson, F.C. Lampman, J. Webb, John Ammond, Haskel and Will Purdy, Frank Perkins, Theodore Johnson, Geo. Cook, Hugo Herder, Chas. Fisher, Andrew Munson, Geo. Diepenbroeck, Jr., Geo. Reeve. G. Beckmarck, Claus Sandstrom, Chas. Lidberg, Ludwig Rock, H. Seastruade, Axel Ekk, Will Kinney, Mrs. Hill, daughter and son, Diamond Bluff, John Kwai, Edward Axelson, Otto Simon, Peter Malm, Arthur Anderson, F.P. Gartland, Oscar Berling, Robert Shelstrom, Geo. Hawkins and son, Jacob Appenceller, Fred Scherf, R.F. Johnson, E.T. Danielson, W.J.G. and R. Eisenbrand, Henry Rehder, C.D. Jacobi, Sherman Ward, W.W. DeKay, Jr., Henry Nelson, Geo Landeck, A.H. Olson, N.K. Simmons, Charles Trutman, Aggie Bertrom, May Casey, Edie Martinson, Wm. Ploos, C.S. Sultzer, E.D. Morris, John Nelson, John G. Gilbertson, John Anderberg, G. Larson O. Smith T.F. Kempe, E. Schenach, William Blaker.

The following is a list of the victims, as far as could be determined at the time:

Mrs. W.S. Blaker, Cena Blaker, Kate Burkardt, Minnie Fischer, Annie Snider, Fred Hottoman, Anna Way, Chas. Dinslage, Kate Dailey, Phebe Bearson, C. Johnson, Geo. W. Nelson, Flora Smith, Mrs. F. Hempftling, Miss Siebrasse, John Schoeffler, Mrs. John Schoeffler, Two children of John Schoeffler, O.A. Anderson, Wilmot Dak., Peter Gerken, Mrs. Peter Gerken, Peter Gerken's boy, Lizzie Ann Harrison, H. Hempftling, Mrs. H. Hempftling, Myrtle Mero, Thos. Leeson, Pearl Weltern, Anna Snider, Emma Nelson, Mrs. Merritt Green, Miss Ida Green, Mrs. Nelson, Anna Staiger, Frankie Staiger, Ida Seavers, Mabel Holton.

The following list of victims was taken from the Pierce County Plaindealer, July 18, 1890: (The found or not found means that bodies were or were not recovered.)

The following are the Diamond Bluff persons drown: R.L. Mero, found, Myrtle Mero, found, Austin Mero, found, Leon Kremer, found, Wm. Jergenson, not found, Mrs. D.N. Wethern, found, Pearl Wethern, found, Millie Niles, found.

The following person was from Trimbelle: Flora Smith, found

The following were from Trenton: Alice Palmer, found, Nettie Palmer, found, Ella Adams, found, Wm. Adams, found, John Adams, found, Mattie Flynn, found, Cord Johnson, found, Addie Way, found, Edna Way, found, Jules Wilson, found

Mississippi River | Lakes of Minnesota | Lakes of Wisconsin