Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
21h ago

Archaeologists Map 16 Ancient Canoes in Lake Mendota, Oldest Is 5,200 Years Old

Researchers interpret the location as a communal canoe depot near prehistoric trails under guidance from tribal partners.

An ancient dugout canoe, labeled as canoe number 11, sits on the bottom of Lake Mendota near Madison, Wis. The dugout boat is estimated to be 5,200 years old, making it the oldest of its kind ever to be discovered in the Great Lakes region. The plastic bag near the boat will be used to collect samples for radiocarbon dating and other analysis. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society
Image
2021 Event - 1,200 year old canoe getting recovered from Lake Mendota. WHS Director and CEO Christian Overland (left) with Bill Quackenbush (right).

Overview

  • The Wisconsin Historical Society announced the mapped locations of 16 dugout canoes on Lake Mendota’s lakebed in Madison.
  • Radiocarbon dating places the oldest canoe at about 5,200 years, ranking it third-oldest in eastern North America and older than the Pyramids of Giza.
  • Two canoes have been recovered for conservation while 14 remain submerged, supported by a $113,912 Save America’s Treasures grant and freeze-drying treatment in Texas, with the 2021 canoe slated for display at the Wisconsin History Center.
  • Fieldwork since 2021 has revealed canoes from multiple eras—including roughly 4,500, 3,000, 2,000, 1,200, and about 700 years ago—with six additional canoes located in spring 2025.
  • Work led by maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen with UW–Madison experts and preservation officers from the Ho-Chunk Nation and the Bad River Band continues, with researchers exploring deeper deposits that could hold even older material.