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. Hennepin provided a striking account of 17th-century North America and his book contains the first recorded description of "the Wonders of that prodigious Cascade", Niagara Falls.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.