A fleet of 16 canoes, some older than the Pyramids of Giza, has been found in a lake in Wisconsin. State maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen has systematically discovered and mapped the dugout canoes around Lake Mendota since the first was unearthed in 2021. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced the news on Wednesday, November 19. Researchers think they performed a similar role to e-bikes in modern cities, used and then parked for the next person. Radiocarbon dating suggests the oldest canoe is 5,200 years old. The pyramids were built around 4,500 years ago. Others are newer, like the first one Thomson found, which dates back around 1,200 years. Thomsen said canoe depositories were like how e-bikes “utilize docking stations for users to store bikes between riders. It’s a parking spot that’s been used for millennia, over and over.” She worked with Ho-Chunk tribal preservation officer Bill Quackenbush, who said, “The canoes remind us how long our people have lived in this region and how deeply connected we remain to these waters and lands.” Larry Plucinski, of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, said, “The canoes give us insight into a sophisticated travel network and interconnected communities who used their incredible skills and knowledge to live and thrive on lands where we still live and thrive today.”
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Read it at Wisconsin Historical Society
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