Acknowledging The Great Falls
It wasn’t until 1678, however, that Europeans first acknowledged the existence of Niagara Falls, despite reports of a massive cascade in the area dating back to the early 17th century by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. During an expedition into what was then known as New France that year, a priest by the name of Father Louis Hennepin was privileged to see the incredible event.
Acknowledging The Great Falls
The New Discovery
Afterward, five years after stumbling upon the falls, Hennepin published A New Discovery, in which he detailed his astonishing discovery. The name Niagara is said to have originated from the Iroquoian word “onguiaahra,” which means “the strait,” and it was there that the term was first recorded. And as more and more Westerners became aware of the cascades, a growing number of tourists began to flock to the region.
The New Discovery
