fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

MADISON, Wisc.— On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) recovered a 3,000-year-old dugout canoe from the bottom of a Madison lake with the assistance of two Wisconsin Tribes.

The canoe, recovered from Lake Mendota in downtown Madison, is about 14.5 feet long and carved from a single piece of white oak. According to the WHS, radiocarbon dating analysis performed on the recovered canoe places its origin at 1,000 BC — making it the oldest canoe ever discovered in the Great Lakes region by approximately 1,000 years.

It is the second canoe recovered in the last year from the same lake —last November, the WHS announced that it recovered a canoe that dated 1,200 years old. Both canoes were likely made by ancestors of the Ho-Chunk Nation.

“Finding an additional historically significant canoe in Lake Mendota is truly incredible and unlocks invaluable research and educational opportunities to explore the technological, cultural, and stylistic changes that occurred in dugout canoe design over 3,000 years,” WHS Archaeologist Dr. James Skibo said in a statement. “Since it was located within 100 yards of where the first canoe was found at the bottom of a drop-off in the lakebed, the find has prompted us to research fluctuating water levels and ancient shorelines to explore the possibility that the canoes were near what is now submerged village sites.”

Representatives from the Ho-Chunk Nation and Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa joined the WHS to recover both canoes.

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 
 

“These are things that we, as Ho-Chunk people, have known,” Ho-Chunk Nation Public Relations Officer Casey Brown told Native News Online. “A canoe finding isn’t revelatory to us because we have known we have been here for thousands of years.” 

The canoe was first discovered in May 2022 by WHS Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen while diving in Lake Mendota, Madison’s largest lake. 

Last year, Thomsen also discovered the first canoe recovered early this year.

The area of the lake the canoe was found in is populated, with homes and recreational boat traffic nearby. 

“It was pure luck that someone from the [Wisconsin] Historical Society that is also a scuba diver happened to go there,” Brown said.

An end of the canoe was protruding out of the lake. Brown said that other divers likely had seen the canoe before but didn’t know what it was. 

“To anyone else, this would look like a piece of wood, or driftwood, just sticking out of the water,” Brown said. 

Brown went on to say that lower water levels — an effect of climate change — likely made the canoe visible. 

 

Brown said that both canoes confirm that the Ho-Chunk people have been in the Madison area for thousands of years. 

 

“Western academia, especially history, is based on evidence, or proof,” Brown told Native News Online. “Well, here’s a 3,000-year-old canoe. Anyone who wants to deny Indigenous history, it’s harder to do that now.”

Tell Us What You Think


More Stories Like This

Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (December 22, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Washington Post Reports Indian School Deaths are Three Times What the Federal Government Reported
Federal Government Shutdown Averted: How Native Americans in Congress Voted

Can we take a minute to talk about tribal sovereignty?

Sovereignty isn't just a concept – it's the foundation of Native nations' right to govern, protect our lands, and preserve our cultures. Every story we publish strengthens tribal sovereignty.

Unlike mainstream media, we center Indigenous voices and report directly from Native communities. When we cover land rights, water protection, or tribal governance, we're not just sharing news – we're documenting our living history and defending our future.

Our journalism is powered by readers, not shareholders. If you believe in the importance of Native-led media in protecting tribal sovereignty, consider supporting our work today. 

Right now, your support goes twice as far. Thanks to a generous $35,000 matching fund, every dollar you give during December 2024 will be doubled to protect sovereignty and amplify Native voices.

No paywalls. No corporate owners. Just independent, Indigenous journalism.

About The Author
Author: Darren ThompsonEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Darren Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) is a staff reporter for Native News Online who is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Thompson has reported on political unrest, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous issues for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Indian Country Today, Native News Online, Powwows.com and Unicorn Riot. He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Voice of America on various Indigenous issues in international conversation. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminology & Law Studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.