Father Louis Hennepin
Then again, until 1678, no Europeans had visited the falls. Father Louis Hennepin, on his way to Niagara Falls in search of a New France, was the man who did this. As far as we know, that’s what North America was referred to as at one point in time.
Father Louis Hennepin
Five Years Later
Five years passed since he returned home from the Falls, and Father Louis Hennepin decided to put his thoughts down on paper. He wrote A New Discovery article in which the name of the Falls appeared for the first time. So essentially, Niagara Falls came into existence in 1683. The name stems from the word, “onguiaahra” – an Iroquoian word – which means ‘the strait’. Once this article was published, Father Louis Hennepin became famous as the first person from Europe to see Niagara Falls. After that, a lot of European visitors came to see the beauty they read about.
Five Years Later
