Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
Fr. Louis Hennepin describes Wisconsin and Minnesota in the 1670's.
A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America
One of the most flamboyant figures in early Wisconsin history, Fr. Hennepin set sail for the west in 1679, cruising from modern Buffalo to Chicago. In February 1680 he headed south by canoe and later claimed to have gone all the way to the mouth of the Mississippi. In reality, he was captured by the Sioux somewhere north of the Illinois River, and with two companions was carried into northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Over the next four months they ranged through much of the upper Mississippi Valley, until in August 1680, they were discovered and ransomed by the explorer Duluth.
| Related Topics: |
Early Native Peoples Explorers, Traders, and Settlers Iroquois Wars of the 17th Century Arrival of the First Europeans The French Fur Trade |
| Creator: | Hennepin, Louis, 17th cent. |
| Pub Data: | Reprinted from the Second London Issue of 1698, with Facsimiles of Original Title-Pages, Maps, and Illustrations, and the Addition of Introduction, Notes, and Index by Reuben Gold Thwaites. In Two Volumes. (Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1903). |
| Citation: | Hennepin, Louis. A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America. (Chicago, 1903). Online facsimile at: http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-124a/index.asp; Visited on: 5/9/2024 |
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