A prehistoric discovery of at least 11 ancient canoes found at the bottom of a Wisconsin lake could lead archaeologists to a long-lost village.
The Wisconsin Historical Society uncovered the boats in the state’s northerner Lake Mendota, which date between 4,500 years to 800 years old.
Artifacts like fishing nets and tools were also found among the preserved vessels that were each made from a single tree.
The canoes were also discovered along a shoreline that has since been submerged, suggesting a previously unknown civilization once thrived in the area.
A prehistoric discovery of at least 11 ancient canoes found at the bottom of a Wisconsin lake could lead archaeologists to a long-lost village. Pictured is a 3,000-year-old boat in its original resting place
‘Seeing these canoes with one’s own eyes is a powerful experience, and they serve as a physical representation of what we know from extensive oral traditions that Native scholars have passed down over generations,’ said Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Ho-Chunk Nation Bill Quackenbush.
‘We are excited to learn all we can from this site using the technology and tools available to us, and to continue to share the enduring stories and ingenuity of our ancestors.’
While the Ho-Chunk tribe once lived in the area surrounding Lake Mendota, the Paleo-Indian people were the earliest inhabitants arriving around 12,000 years ago – the Ho-Chunk tribe migrated there no earlier than 800AD.
The boats are known as dugout canoes because each was constructed out of a single tree.
After cutting the tree and sculpting the canoe, natives would burn the seating area and scrape out the charcoal with stone tools to create a softer feel on the inside.
Archaeologists have been excavating the lake since 2021, uncovering a 1,200-year-old boat about 15 feet long, which was found with ancient fishing nets.
The boat was discovered 30 feet below the surface.
The teams pulled each canoe out from the water for a deeper analysis, but are not removing additional boats in fear of ruining them
The Wisconsin Historical Society uncovered the boats in the state’s northerner Lake Mendota, which date between 4,500 years to 800 years old. Pictured is a 3,000-year-old canoe
While the Ho-Chunk tribe once lived in the area surrounding Lake Mendota, the Paleo-Indian people were the earliest inhabitants arriving around 12,000 years ago. The boats may have belonged to the ancient civilization
Amy Rosebrough, Staff Archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society, told DailyMail.com in 2021: ‘The canoe was used for fishing on the lakes, since we found a group of ‘netsinkers’ inside.
‘These items would have weighted down the lower end of a floating fishing net or anchored fishing lines.’
The canoe first appeared like a log sticking out from the surface, but archaeologists decided to conduct a further analysis with underwater scooters and scuba divers, revealing the historic find.
A year later, the team pulled a 14-foot-long boat from the depths that dated back 3,000 years.
‘Radiocarbon dating results indicated the oldest canoe in the Lake Mendota cache is approximately 4,500 years old—making it the oldest dugout canoe now recorded in the Great Lakes—dating back to around 2500BC and constructed of Elm,’ the team shared in the announcement.
The four oldest of the canoes date back to the Late Archaic period, from 1000BC to 700AD, and two where from the Middle Woodland period that spanned from 1000AD to 1400AD.
The canoes were found with rocks meticulously placed on top while below the surface, which experts speculated was done to ensure the boats did not warp during the winter months
Archaeologists have been investigating Lake Mendota (pictured) since 2021
The dating technique also determined that up to four canoes dated to the Late Woodland period – around 1000BC.
And the most recent was found to be around 800 years old, from the Oneota period, constructed of Red Oak and dating back to around 1250 AD.
Ash, White Oak, Cottonwood and White Oak were other tree species used to build the ancient boats.
The canoes were found with rocks meticulously placed on top while below the surface, which experts speculated was done to ensure the boats did not warp during the winter months.
The boats are known as dugout canoes because each was constructed out of a single tree. After cutting the tree and sculpting the canoe, natives would burn the seating area and scrape out the charcoal with stone tools to create a softer feel on the inside
Ash, White Oak, Cottonwood and White Oak were other tree species used to build the ancient boats
The recovery team used floatation bags to the lift the boats from the lake floor and floated them underneath the water to the beach until they reached the shore
The recovery team used floatation bags to the lift the boats from the lake floor and floated them underneath the water to the beach until they reached the shore.
‘It was important to limit the amount of time the canoe was exposed to the open air in order to prevent physical deterioration,’ said Rosebrough.
‘We have a lot to learn from the Mendota canoe site, and the research happening today allows us to better understand and share the stories of the people who lived here and had a thriving culture here since time immemorial,’ said Larry Plucinski, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Historic Preservation Officer.
The Wisconsin Historical Society is not planning to recover other canoes from the site due to their fragile condition after weathering long-term exposure to natural elements, and later, manmade conditions such as water pollution and boating wakes.
‘It is an honor for our team to work alongside the Native Nations to document, research and share these incredible stories from history,’ Rosebrough said in regards to the 2024 announcement.
‘What we thought at first was an isolated discovery in Lake Mendota has evolved into a significant archaeological site with much to tell us about the people who lived and thrived in this area over thousands of years and also provides new evidence for major environmental shifts over time.’
