Clean Lakes 101: The Lake Mendota Dugout Canoe Discovery

In 2021, Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen found a dugout canoe in Lake Mendota that dated to AD 800. Its recovery that year made international news, and it was selected as one of the top 10 archaeological discoveries in 2021. In 2022, another canoe was found in the same location and this one dates to 1,000 BC, making it the oldest canoe in the Great Lakes Region. Both canoes are now undergoing a three-year preservation process at the State Historical Preservation Facility.