1000-year-old canoe discovered in Wisconsin lake
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Mark Schachtner discovered an unusual shape while diving in Lake Pewaukee in Wisconsin, and reported it to authorities.
The State Historical Society of Wisconsin later identified the object as a 1000-year-old canoe made by Indigenous people between the 10th and 11th centuries. Archaeologists spent several months studying and recovering a fragment of the canoe from the lakebed. This canoe joins sixteen others found near Madison, Wisconsin, forming an important historical collection reflecting the continuing presence and influence of Native communities.
The canoe measures 5.26 meters long and 0.55 meters wide at its thickest point, with walls and a bottom of considerable thickness. Tamara Thomsen, a marine archaeologist, explained that intentionally sinking canoes in lakebeds was a common practice for preservation. Michael Wiemann from the US Department of Agriculture determined the canoe was made of white oak, consistent with other canoes found in the region.
The Ho-Chunk Nation claims ownership of the canoe, and requests it remain undisturbed in the lake as a sign of respect for their ancestors, a request authorities are upholding.
