That sounds like an evap cannister hose. (The evap cannister is mounted inside that fender.) It has two lines - a signal line that routes through a temperature switch along "sensor row" on the cylinder head and the purge line to the inlet manifold. On my CA model there is a decal that shows the schematic of this system on the upper radiator support, but I'm not sure if 49-state models had this decal.

Having any of these lines disconnected could result in a vacuum leak that will cause operational/driveability problems and will be a sure visual failure if you have to be emission tested since the evap cannister may be disabled. If bubba's been there, you should correct his cobbled up work.

Duke