Durand, WI

Durand is Pepin County’s seat on the Chippewa River, about 15 miles upstream from the Mississippi. Its founding story starts with 21-year-old Miles Durand Prindle arriving in 1856 by keelboat, the “Dutch Lady,” and taking land at the site of today’s city. The settlement was first called Bear Creek, then took the Durand name and incorporated in 1887. A railroad reached town in 1882, adding another transportation line to the river route. The old county courthouse now serves as a museum, and the city remains a starting point for river trails and the Chippewa State Trail. Durand’s whole personality is in that sequence: boat, rail, courthouse, river.