Matching 50 mythical creatures with each of the 50 states

Mississippi: Pepie

In the state of Mississippi, there is actually an iconic monster that has made a name for itself. Although the reality is that this monster is more closely associated with the Mississippi River than the state itself. In fact, its name comes from Lake Pepin which is located at the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, in the northern portion of the river.

However, just because this creature, known by Pepie, is named after this northern lake, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t travel. And with the river being its home, and sightings of this creature ranging all along the mighty Mississippi, it just makes sense that this would be the monster of the state.

Pepie is unique in many ways because he has actually had a reward on his head. And if that doesn’t make you want to track him down, I don’t know what does.

But really Pepie is a perfect monster for Mississippi because he is a large serpentine creature in the river, who lurks in the deep. He travels the entire river and is very much like his apparent cousins – Chessie and Nessie (aka the Loch Ness Monster). And he continues to pop up, causing mischief and basically reminding us that sometimes, you just need to swim.

Really, I just love that there is another sea serpent in American folklore and that its home is the mighty Mississippi!