Lake Pepin occupies a valley carved by the waters of Glacial River Warren, which drained Lake Agassiz in a catastrophic flood at the end of the last Ice Age, and to a lesser extent from Lake Duluth, a smaller glacial lake which drained through the present valley of the St. Croix River. When the continental glacier’s meltwaters found other outlets to the sea, River Warren was succeeded by the more modest Upper Mississippi, which drains a much smaller basin, and the St. Croix spillway became the present river. Over a long period of time, the deep valley was partially filled with sediments, forming a broad floodplain. In this plain Lake Pepin formed behind a delta comprising sediments deposited into the ancient lake bed by the Chippewa River near the present community of Wabasha at the southern end of the lake. The lake backed up behind this sediment dam as far north as the location of Saint Paul. In the 10,000 years since the lake’s creation, ongoing sedimentation into Lake Pepin has caused its upper end to migrate downstream some 50 miles to its present location east (river direction south) of Red Wing, Minnesota. ~wikipedia
Nelson is located at the junction of the Mississippi River and Chippewa River valleys. The river bottoms surrounding the confluence are home to a large amount of wildlife. A causeway and bridge across the Mississippi River link Nelson with the city of Wabasha, Minnesota at the junction of Wisconsin Highway 25 and Wisconsin Highway 35. Southbound Highway 25 becomes Minnesota Highway 60 upon crossing the Mississippi River to Wabasha.
Nelson lies on Wisconsin Highway 35, the “Great River Road,” a popular tourist route that runs along the east bank of the Mississippi River. ~wikipedia
Nelson, WI is home of the 100 year old Nelson Cheese Factory and J & J BBQ & Catering. Two favorites stops while traveling through this picturesque bluff country. A little North of town is my favorite wood-fired pizza establishment – The Stone Barn.
A couple different views of the causeway and bridge across the Mississippi River linking Nelson, WI with the city of Wabasha, MN.
Cyndie and I were in Prescott, WI this a.m. for a late breakfast at The Kitchen Table. Fantastic breakfast and coffee; fast and friendly service. Biscuits and Gravy is top-notch. I’ve never had lunch there, but the lunch menu looks plenty good.
Prescott is situated at the confluence of the St. Croix River and Mississippi River. You can very easily make out the sediment-laden Mississippi water mixing with the St. Croix down stream from the railroad bridge. You can learn more about this issue @ Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance.
Here are some panoramas I shot of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.
I was a bit late for sunrise, but the fog was heavy and flowing nicely through the valley. Solders Memorial Park on top of Sorin’s Bluff in Red Wing is a perfect location to appreciate the vastness of the fog as it flows along and lifts away.
This city was named after the early 19th-century Dakota Sioux chief, Red Wing (Shakea), or Hupahuduta (“Wing of the Wild Swan Dyed Red”). He was one of a succession of Mdewakanton Dakota chiefs whose name “Red Wing” came from their use of a dyed swan’s wing as their symbol of rank. He was an ally of British soldiers during the War of 1812. After a vision in which he saw the Americans driving out the British, he declared neutrality. French Canadians referred to him as L’Aile Rouge. Later he took the name Shakea, or “The Man Who Paints Himself Red,” after passing the name Red Wing on to a successor chief. ~wikipedia
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. Having lived near the river most of my life, it’s sometime easy to forgot the unique and picturesque features that draw others to the region.
Having a drone has re-peaked my interest to photograph the beautiful area where I live.
Red Wing is connected to Wisconsin by the Eisenhower Bridge); it carries U.S. Route 63 over the Mississippi River and its backwaters. ~wikipedia
Construction on the bridge that will replace the Eisenhower Bridge is slated to be complete August 2020. Based on a Minnesota state statute, the name must remain the Eisenhower Memorial Bridge.
At Levee Park over the Labor Day weekend. Levee Park has looked better. It has been under construction for some time now; delayed due to flooding most of the Spring/Summer.
LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND – Mississippi River | Wacouta Bay
Lighthouse Island
Sediment loads and the growing island
Lighthouse Island has grown about a mile in the last 50 years. The area is notorious for boat groundings. Sediment loads—the size of a city block filled to the height of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis—accumulate in Lake Pepin every year. With sedimentation rates 10x above normal, the lake is in a fight for survival. It has two water quality impairments and is expected to prematurely disappear in just a few generations. See the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance website for more information.
In many ways, Lake Pepin is the poster child for the larger problems facing the Mississippi River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. ~LPLA
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Mud Picnic
Last weekend, LPLA hosted its first Mud Picnic to help visualize this problem. The event was a powerful experience for attendees and took place at the head of Lake Pepin in the shallow waters just downstream of Lighthouse Island. ~LPLA
Lake Pepin is a natural lake on the Upper Mississippi River that is disappearing due to excess sediment from upstream sources. Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA) is a grassroots organization working to save the lake for future generations. ~LPLA
If you care about Lake Pepin, please attend the LPLA open-house about upstream pollution affecting Lake Pepin THIS Thursday, August 29th from 4-7 PM at the Lake City Sportsman’s Club. Free food, Cash bar.
Join the over 600 LPLA members and help move the effort to restore water quality, fish and wildlife habitat and recreational access in upper Lake Pepin. Become a member | Donate
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Head of Lake Pepin | Wacouta Bay
I shot this panorama while attending the Mud Picnic organized by Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance on 2019-08-24. Wonderful cause and beautiful evening for the event. Most of the event took place off the point of the island just right of center in the image above where a massive sand bar has been forming due to sediment from up river.
Pool 4 extends from Lock & Dam 4 located near Alma, Wisconsin upstream to Lock & Dam 3 located near Hager City, Wisconsin.
Unlike the Lower Mississippi, much of the upper river is a series of pools created by a system of 29 locks and dams. The structures were authorized by Congress in the 1930s, and most were completed by 1940. A primary reason for damming the river is to facilitate barge transportation. The dams regulate water levels for the Upper River and play a major part in regulating levels on the Lower Mississippi.
Navigation locks allow towboats, barges, and other vessels to transit the dams. Approximately 1350 kilometers (850 mi), from the head of navigation in Mile 858, Minneapolis, Minnesota down to Cairo, has been made suitable for commercial navigation with a depth of 2.75 meters (9 ft) The agriculture and barge transportation industries have lobbied in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for a multi-billion-dollar project to upgrade the aging lock and dam system. Some environmental groups and advocates of budgetary restraint argue that the project lacks economic justification.
Each lock and dam complex creates a pool upstream of it. There are 29 locks on the Upper Mississippi maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—from Upper St. Anthony Falls upstream to Chain of Rocks downstream. The locks provide a collective 123 meters (404 ft) of lift. ~wikipedia
These photos were taken just downriver from Lock & Dam 3 at Everts Resort. The sunset and clouds were fantastic this last Friday.
Looking downstream towards Everts Resort
Everts Resort
Looking upstream at Lock & Dam 3 off in the distance. You can see the steam rising from the cooling towers at Prairie Island Nuclear Plant right below the sun.
![ake Pepin occupies a valley carved by the waters of Glacial River Warren, which drained Lake Agassiz in a catastrophic flood at the end of the last Ice Age, and to a lesser extent from Lake Duluth, a smaller glacial lake which drained through the present valley of the St. Croix River. When the continental glacier's meltwaters found other outlets to the sea, River Warren was succeeded by the more modest Upper Mississippi, which drains a much smaller basin, and the St. Croix spillway became the present river. Over a long period of time, the deep valley was partially filled with sediments, forming a broad floodplain. In this plain Lake Pepin formed behind a delta comprising sediments deposited into the ancient lake bed by the Chippewa River near the present community of Wabasha at the southern end of the lake. The lake backed up behind this sediment dam as far north as the location of Saint Paul. In the 10,000 years since the lake's creation, ongoing sedimentation into Lake Pepin has caused its upper end to migrate downstream some 80km (50mi) to its present location east (river direction south) of Red Wing, Minnesota.[5]](https://i0.wp.com/traun-photo.com/dan/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019-09-19-DF068-Around-the-Lake-0001-7-Edit-2.jpg)
