Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) identifies sixteen ancient dugout canoes in Lake Mendota

Key facts

• Sixteen submerged dugout canoes have been identified on the lakebed, and radiocarbon dating indicates the oldest may be approximately 5,200 years old.
• Researchers report that the youngest canoe in the set appears to be around 700 years old, while the oldest reaches back more than five millennia.
• Researchers have noted that about half of the canoes were made from red or white oak.
• The Wisconsin Historical Society’s (WHS) current explanation centers on tyloses, a biological structure that can form inside certain hardwoods.
• Tyloses can block water movement within the wood, making it less permeable and more resistant to moisture penetration.
• But if wood sinks and becomes buried under sediment in low-oxygen conditions, decay slows dramatically.
• Some reporting connected to the discovery notes that net sinkers were found in association with some of the canoes, supporting the idea that at least part of the activity involved fishing.
• Researchers have stated that the canoes were found in two distinct groupings on the lakebed.