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.

Location

In Queen Victoria Park, along the footpath edging the gorge, Niagara Falls

Themes

• Franco-Ontarian heritage
• People
• Religion