A European Visit
History has it that somewhere at the start of the seventeenth century, the first person in Europe to hear about the Falls was Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer.
A European Visit
However, he was not the first person to visit the Falls from that region. And it wasn’t until 1678, that the first person from Europe actually went to see the Falls for themselves. Father Louis Hennepin went to Niagara Falls, on a mission to discover New France, and they gave that name to this part of North America.
Naming the Discovery
About five years after Father Louis Hennepin came back from his visit, he decided to make known his thoughts and feelings about what he saw. His first article was titled ‘A New Discovery’ in which he first used the term ‘Niagara Falls’, meaning that this name was brought into being in 1683.
Naming The Discovery
The name originated from the word “Onguiaahra” an Iroquoian word, which means “the strait”. As many people read the article, they became interested, and Father Louis Hennepin became a beacon of fame in his country. The report led many people to go to the Falls from Europe to see for themselves this natural wonder Father Louis Hennepin had written about.
