Existing comment:
Louis Hennepin (1626-c. 1705):
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. |