Good Info -Ancient Dugout Canoe #1

"Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota canoe cache is a “world class” discovery, said Rick Torben, the curator of North American archeology at the Smithsonian’s Natural Museum of American History. “It’s an amazing find,” Torben said. “Outside of Florida, I don’t know of any place in North America that has anywhere close to this concentration of preserved dugouts.”

NOTE: in the winter of 2023-24 a sounding was done along the shoreline, and another 10+ (see chart at bottom) canoes were located east of canoe #1, extending alone the Shorewood Hills shoreline. I don’t know any of the details, yet

Ancient Dugout Canoe #1.

As far as I can tell, the canoe was located in 27 feet of water off 3506 Lake Mendota drive (University Place Lake Mendota Dugout Canoe Discovery April 8, 2022)

Found on June 11th 2021. by Tamara Thomsen, Maritime Archaeologist. Carbon dated to 700-892 AD (Effigy Mound Period). This is a period just before corn’s arrival, when small communities were first formed.

The dugout is about 15.5 feet long and made of white oak. Biggest surprise: fishing net sinkers onboard. It was removed from the lake around November 11, 2021

June 11th, 2021… Discovery day

These are net weights… the only known ancient canoe with these within

Later in the day on June 11th - Tamara came back to make sure it is really a canoe and not a random piece of wood.

Here’s more… an June 2024 article.

Dating the canoes in Lake Mendota. I believe the canoes labeled ‘1’ was the one along the Shorewood Hills shoreline

Cleaning the canoe in March of 2022. After this, the canoe will be placed in a water bath for 2.5 years. During this time PEG (Polyethylene Glycol - a waxy solid) will be dissolved in the water; eventually replacing all the water within individual wood cells creating a new cell-support structure. Finally, it will go to Texas A&M for freeze drying.

The cleaned parts, just before their long water bath.

Here is where it was found: off shore around 3506 Lake Mendota drive.