Hennepin

Hennepin, Louis, 1640-1701?, French cleric and explorer in North America. A Franciscan Recollect friar, Hennepin came to Canada in 1675, meeting on the journey La Salle, who made him chaplain of his proposed Western expedition in 1678. After some time spent at Fort Frontenac the party sailed (1679) in the Griffon, the first ship on the Great Lakes, for Green Bay. La Salle crossed to the Mississippi by the Illinois route and from there sent Hennepin with the expedition, led by Michel Aco, which was the first to explore the upper Mississippi valley. They ascended the river to Minnesota, where they were captured by the Sioux. In the course of his captivity Hennepin first saw and named the Falls of St. Anthony, where Minneapolis was located afterward. He was rescued by Duluth. After returning to France, Hennepin claimed in his Description de la Louisiane (1682) the leadership and all the credit for the upper Mississippi expedition. Later, in his Nouveau Voyage (1696) and Nouvelle Découverte (1697), he falsely claimed to have descended the Mississippi to its mouth. His narratives, however, have undeniable charm and importance. He was the first to describe such parts of America as the upper Mississippi and Niagara Falls. R. G. Thwaite's translation, Hennepin's New Discovery (1903, repr. 1972) contains a biography and bibliography.

(born May 12, 1626, Ath, Belg.—died after 1701, Rome?, Italy) French missionary and explorer. A Franciscan, he traveled to Canada in 1675 with La Salle. They explored the Great Lakes region, founding Fort Crèvecoeur (near modern Peoria, Ill.) in 1680. When La Salle returned for supplies, Hennepin and others explored the upper Mississippi River. They were captured by Sioux Indians and taken to a site Hennepin named the Falls of St. Anthony (later Minneapolis); after four months they were rescued by Daniel DuLhut. Hennepin returned to France in 1682 and wrote an account of his journeys.

Learn more about Hennepin, Louis with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born May 12, 1626, Ath, Belg.—died after 1701, Rome?, Italy) French missionary and explorer. A Franciscan, he traveled to Canada in 1675 with La Salle. They explored the Great Lakes region, founding Fort Crèvecoeur (near modern Peoria, Ill.) in 1680. When La Salle returned for supplies, Hennepin and others explored the upper Mississippi River. They were captured by Sioux Indians and taken to a site Hennepin named the Falls of St. Anthony (later Minneapolis); after four months they were rescued by Daniel DuLhut. Hennepin returned to France in 1682 and wrote an account of his journeys.

Learn more about Hennepin, Louis with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Hennepin is a village on the Illinois River in Putnam County, Illinois, United States. The population was 707 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County.

Hennepin is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Hennepin is located at (41.256712, -89.329899).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (6.45%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 707 people, 304 households, and 206 families residing in the village. The population density was 135.4 people per square mile (52.3/km²). There were 334 housing units at an average density of 64.0/sq mi (24.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.17% White, 1.13% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.57% from other races, and 0.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.82% of the population.

There were 304 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,827, and the median income for a family was $56,111. Males had a median income of $48,500 versus $19,231 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,981. About 2.6% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Historic sites

Hennepin's Putnam County Courthouse, built in 1837, was as of 2007 the oldest county courthouse in Illinois still serving its original purpose.

References

External links