Hennepin is located along the banks of the
Illinois River in north central Illinois in
Putnam County, (of which it is the county seat), southwest of
La Salle along Highway 26. It is named for
Louis Hennepin, an explorer under
Sieur de La Salle's command in the late 1600's.
The Hennepin Canal, a man-made channel which connects the Illinois with the Rock River and eventually with the Mississippi River, was 155 miles long and rose nearly 200 feet at a point near Wyanet via 21 locks. Construction took place between 1890 and 1907. As the railroads were developed, however, they claimed quicker and more efficient transportation and canal traffic became obsolete. The canal is now a part of Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park with its headquarters in Sheffield.
