Prehistoric canoes found at the bottom of a lake in Wisconsin (10 photos)

The Wisconsin Historical Society (USA) discovered 11 ancient boats in Lake Mendota in the north of the state. Their age ranges from 4500 to 800 years. In addition, artifacts such as fishing nets and tools were found.





Canoes were discovered at the bottom of the lake and along its shoreline, which has since been submerged. Experts have suggested that a previously unknown civilization once flourished in this area.



3000 year old boat

“Seeing these canoes in person is a very powerful experience, and they serve as a physical manifestation of what we know from the detailed oral histories that Native peoples have passed down through generations,” said Ho-Chunk Tribe Historic Preservation Specialist Bill Quackenbush. “We look forward to learning all we can using the technologies and tools available to us, and continuing to share the enduring stories and ingenuity of our ancestors.”

Although the Ho-Chunk tribe once lived in the vicinity of Lake Mendota, Paleo-Indians arrived here even earlier - they arrived here about 12,000 years ago, and the Ho-Chunk tribe moved to these lands no earlier than 800 AD.





The boats are known as dugout canoes, made from a single piece of wood. After the tree was cut down and the canoe carved, the natives burned the seating area and scraped out the coal with stone tools to soften the interior surface.

Archaeologists have been excavating the lake since 2021 and have discovered a 1,200-year-old boat about 4.5 meters long - along with ancient fishing nets. The boat was found at a depth of 9 meters.



Amy Rosebrow, staff archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society, said: “The canoe was used for fishing on the lakes because we found a group of pipistrelle bats inside.

These items were supposed to weigh down the lower end of the floating fishing net or secure the fishing line.”

At first, the canoe looked like a log sticking out of the bottom sediments, but archaeologists decided to conduct additional analysis using underwater scooters and scuba gear, and thanks to this they made a historical discovery.



A year later, researchers recovered a 4.3-meter-long boat from the depths, which was 3,000 years old.

Carbon dating results indicate that the oldest canoe recovered from Lake Mendota is approximately 4,500 years old. And that makes it the oldest canoe dug on the Great Lakes. The boat dates from around 2500 BC and is made of elm.



The four oldest canoes date from the Late Archaic period, from 1000 BC. e. to 700 AD e., two more - to the middle Woodland period, which lasted from 1000 BC. e. to 1400 AD e.

The dating method also determined that the four canoes date back to the late Woodland period, around 1000 BC.

And the most recent one, built of red oak and dating from about 1250 AD, was about 800 years old, dating back to the Oneotan period.



Archaeologists have been exploring Lake Mendota since 2021

Other woods used to build ancient boats included ash, white oak, cottonwood, and white oak.



Rocks were found on the canoes, carefully placed on top and below the surface, which experts believe was done to prevent the boats from becoming deformed during the winter months.



The rescue team lifted the boats from the bottom of the lake using inflatable cargo bags and swam underwater until they reached the shore.

“It was important to limit the amount of time the canoe was outdoors to prevent physical degradation,” Rosebrow says.



“We have much to learn about the Mendota Canoe Site, and today's research will allow us to better understand and tell the story of the people who lived here and had a thriving culture since time immemorial,” said Larry Plucinski, historic preservation specialist for the Bad River Band. of Lake Superior Chippewa.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has no plans to remove the other canoes from the lake due to their fragile condition.