Text from the Plaque
Born and educated in Belgium, Hennepin was ordained a Recollet (Franciscan) friar in France. He was an adventurer at heart and undertook priestly duties in several European countries before being sent to New France as a missionary in 1675. In 1679-80 he accompanied Cavelier de La Salle on his exploration of the Mississippi River. Back in France, Hennepin published a lively account of his travels, Description de la Louisiane (1683), which enjoyed widespread popularity in Europe. Despite exaggeration and self-glorification, Hennepin painted a striking picture of 17th-century North America. His book contains the first recorded description of "the Wonders of that prodigious Cascade", Niagara Falls.
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