Lake Mendota continues to reveal its secrets. And this one is the oldest so far
One of the fragments of a dugout canoe pulled from Lake Mendota near where two other more intact canoes were discovered in 2021 and 2022.
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This graphic shows the estimated age of the ancient canoes found in Lake Mendota and the type of trees used to make them. The earliest canoes were made from elm and the most recent canoe from 800 years ago was crafted from a red oak tree.
Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, looks out over the stretch of Lake Mendota where several ancient canoes have been identified. Thomsen discovered intact canoes in 2021 and 2022. Recently analyzed fragments from the same site near Shorewood Hills has revealed the presence of up to nine more canoes, one estimated to be 4,500 years old.
Tamara Thomsen treats two dugout canoes and fragments from several canoes found in Lake Mendota. The ancient wood pieces are undergoing a preservation process to stabilize the wood before it is freeze-dried and prepared for public display.
Ground-penetrating radar was used in late 2022 and early 2023 on the frozen surface of Lake Mendota in an attempt to find evidence of more dugout canoes.
State archaeologist Amy Rosebrough, left, and Sissel Schroeder, a professor of archaeology at UW-Madison, examine fragments of the canoes.
Photos: Dugout canoe recovered from Lake Mendota after 1,200 years
Dugout canoe
Randy Wallander, a volunteer diver from Manitowoc, unloads gear for the dive. Wallander specializes in bringing up sunken objects, usually in Lake Michigan.
Dugout canoe
Members of the dive team from the Dane County Sheriff's Office were among those who took part in Tuesday's dive near Shorewood Hills.
Dougout canoe
Divers prepare to remove a 1,200-year-old dugout canoe from Lake Mendota on Tuesday.
Dugout canoe
Dugout canoe
Divers converged on Lake Mendota Tuesday to recover a dugout canoe that hadn't been to the surface in 1,200 years.
Dugout canoe
Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist who discovered the Native American dugout canoe in June in Lake Mendota, celebrates the recovery Tuesday with Jim Skibo, Wisconsin's state archaeologist. The canoe was placed in an enclosed trailer for its trip from Spring Harbor Beach to the State Archive Preservation Facility on Madison's Near East Side.
Dugout canoe
Spectators watch as a 1,200-year-oid dugout canoe makes its way across Lake Mendota to Spring Harbor Beach.
Dugout canoe
A 1,200-year-old dugout canoe was raised from Lake Mendota Tuesday by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The canoe was discovered in June during a recreational dive and is the oldest intact boat ever recovered from Wisconsin waters. The canoe will undergo preservation efforts over the next two years before it can be displayed in a museum.
Dugout canoe
Spectators watch as a 1,200-year-oid dugout canoe crafted by members of the Native American Ho-Chunk tribe from Lake Mendota near Spring Harbor Beach in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Dugout canoe
A dugout canoe crafted in A.D. 800 was towed for most of its 1-mile trip to shore but guided by divers in shallow water for the final 100 yards or so to Spring Harbor Beach.
Dugout canoe
Bystanders watch as yellow floats are used to bring a dugout canoe to Spring Harbor Beach. The 1-mile trip took nearly two hours.
Dugout canoe
Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist who discovered the Native American dugout canoe in June in Lake Mendota, celebrates the recovery Tuesday with Jim Skibo, Wisconsin's state archaeologist. The canoe was placed in an enclosed trailer for its trip from Spring Harbor Beach to the State Archive Preservation Facility on Madison's Near East Side.
Dugout canoe
A 1,200-year-old dugout canoe was raised from Lake Mendota Tuesday by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The canoe was discovered in June during a recreational dive and is the oldest intact boat ever recovered from Wisconsin waters. The canoe will undergo preservation efforts over the next two years before it can be displayed in a museum.
Dugout canoe
A dugout canoe crafted in A.D. 800 was towed for most of its 1-mile trip to shore but guided by divers in shallow water for the final 100 yards or so to Spring Harbor Beach.
A microscopic view of a fragment of white oak from a dugout canoe discovered on the bottom of Lake Mendota. Other canoes discovered have been made with elm, red oak, ash and cottonwood trees.
The 3,000-year-old dugout canoe as it appeared on the floor of Lake Mendota in 2022. When it was removed, another canoe was found underneath.
Archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society float a recovered 3,000-year-old dugout canoe on Lake Mendota to Spring Harbor Beach in fall 2022.
