Findings and ongoing research provide additional evidence of a
submerged village site beneath Lake Mendota (Tee Waksikhominak)
with up to 11 canoes identified by archaeologists. Earliest canoe
in cache approximately 4,500 years old, oldest in the Great Lakes
region.
MADISON,
Wis., May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The
Wisconsin Historical Society, in partnership with Native Nations in
Wisconsin, is excited to share new
details from the active archaeological site where two submerged
dugout canoes, approximately 1,200 and 3,000 years old, were
previously identified. The site drew international attention after
divers successfully recovered the dugout canoes in 2021 and 2022,
respectively, and today the site remains a source of intrigue for
historians and residents as the significance of the discovery
expands.
"It is an honor for our team to work alongside the Native
Nations to document, research and share these incredible stories
from history," said Dr. Amy
Rosebrough, State Archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical
Society. "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."
New Findings
Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen,
who is also a member of the Women Diver's Hall of Fame, explored
the depths of Lake Mendota for years before she first happened upon
a partially obscured dugout canoe in June
2021, setting the stage for groundbreaking recovery efforts
later that November and again in September
2022. While follow-up diving expeditions suggested the
presence of additional dugout canoes, Society archaeologists needed
time to consult with Tribal partners, analyze findings and document
the potentially vulnerable site before publicly releasing
details.
Today, researchers have identified at least ten unique
canoes—and potentially up to 11 canoes, pending further analysis of
wood fragments—in the grouping, including the two previously
recovered canoes. Archaeologists hypothesize that the canoes may
have been intentionally cached in the water to prevent freezing and
warping in the winter months and were later buried by natural
forces over time. The Lake Mendota canoes are concentrated along
roughly 800 feet of what was likely an ancient shoreline that
became submerged over time as a result of environmental shifts in
the region. Thomsen recovered a small physical sample from each
canoe for carbon dating, wood type analysis, and further
research.
"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, who focuses on
heritage preservation and also specializes in using ground
penetrating radar (GPR) technology to research ancestral sites. "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."
Ongoing Research Leads to New Insights
The Wisconsin Historical Society is working in collaboration with
Native Nations to research the underwater area adjacent to the
canoe cache, as the discovery of the additional canoes reinforces
the presence of a submerged habitation site of the Native Nations
that have called the area home for millennia. Wood type analysis
conducted by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory revealed that the
trees used to craft the canoes changed over the years, signaling
environmental shifts that impacted forest composition. Elm, Ash,
White Oak, Cottonwood, and Red Oak
were all used to construct the dugouts, shedding light on which
tree species were available as building material at different
points in time. The hard woods of the Late Archaic and Woodland periods—Elm, Ash, Cottonwood and
White Oak—are challenging for woodworking and their use for dugout
canoes also demonstrates the advanced skills and craftmanship of
early canoe makers.
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 2500 BC and constructed of Elm. The four oldest of the
canoes date back to the Late Archaic period, two of the canoes date
to the Middle Woodland period, and up to four canoes date to the
Late Woodland period. The most recent canoe is around 800 years
old, from the Oneota period, constructed of Red Oak and dating back to around 1250 AD.
Quackenbush furthered the research with his ground penetrating
radar (GPR) expertise, which is a non-invasive technology
frequently used by Native Nations on land to identify ancestral
burial sites. Quackenbush was joined by Bad River Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Larry Plucinski, and members of the Wisconsin
Historical Society archaeology team, to conduct an experimental GPR
study on the frozen lake in the winter of 2022 and early 2023.
Quackenbush is working to interpret lakebed anomalies that were
discovered, and additional GPR studies are planned for the future
as ice conditions allow.
Another non-invasive study is being planned in partnership with
the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and the University of Iowa, utilizing a sonar boat to
further research and map the area. Both Plucinski and Quackenbush
are collaborators in this effort that is slated to take place later
this year.
"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 Plucinski.
The Society will not attempt to recover any additional 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. The decision
was made in collaboration with Tribal Historic Preservation
Officers after archaeologists determined that the additional canoes
are not physically intact enough to withstand recovery by divers
and then the process necessary to preserve the
canoes.
Maritime archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society
are extensively documenting the site and the canoes still submerged
in Lake Mendota, including recording underwater videos and
capturing photos of the canoes in situ. Click here to access the
gallery with images and video, including documentary-style
interviews with archaeologists and historians working on the
project.
Looking Forward
While research continues at the Lake Mendota canoe site, the two
recovered canoes remain in the Wisconsin Historical Society's
secure storage at the State Archive Preservation Facility in
Madison while undergoing a
preservation process that uses Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) to
stabilize the wood. The treatment takes several years to complete;
it began in February 2024 and is
expected to conclude in 2026. Once the PEG application is complete,
the canoes will be transported to Texas
A&M University to undergo a freeze-drying process that
leaves the canoes in a stable, solid structure suitable for public
display.
The preserved Lake Mendota canoes and the stories of their
makers will be shared in the Wisconsin Historical Society's future
Wisconsin History Center when it opens in 2027. The canoes will be
part of an immersive, interactive core gallery exploring human
connection with land and water throughout history. The preserved
historic canoes will help the Wisconsin Historical Society and
Native Nations to share these stories in partnership at the future
history center.
Click here to view the media gallery with downloadable photos
and videos:
https://whs.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000myp9MBnjA44/G00006e4YvBet9G4/Lake-Mendota-Canoes-SELECTS
State and federal laws protect this location. Divers may not
remove artifacts, objects or structures when visiting this site.
Removing, defacing, displacing, or destroying artifacts or sites is
a crime.
About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of
the largest, most active and most diversified state historical
societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private
membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to
the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The
Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year
through a wide range of sites, programs and services. The Wisconsin
Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization,
receives grants and private contributions benefitting the Wisconsin
Historical Society and administers the membership program. For more
information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
Media Contact
Kendall Poltzer, Wisconsin
Historical Foundation, (608) 261-1379,
kendall.poltzer@wisconsinhistory.org
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/wisconsin-historical-society-announces-cache-of-ancient-canoes-discovered-in-madison-lake-302153864.html
SOURCE Wisconsin Historical Foundation