Ancient Canoes Discovered Under Lake Mendota in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — November 28, 2025 — Experts from the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) have identified a collection of 16 ancient dugout canoes preserved underwater in Lake Mendota, officials said. Among the canoes is the oldest recorded dugout canoe from the Great Lakes region, estimated to be approximately 5,200 years old.

The discovery includes 14 canoes identified beneath the lake, with six found during the spring of 2025. The WHS has previously recovered two other canoes from Lake Mendota: one dating back 1,200 years, recovered in 2021, and another approximately 3,000 years old, retrieved in 2022. The oldest canoe, constructed of red oak, likely dates to around 3000 B.C., predating the Great Pyramid of Giza and coinciding with the early development of writing in Sumer, according to WHS maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen.

The canoes are believed to have been used by indigenous communities for fishing, travel, and trade over thousands of years before Wisconsin became a state. The landscape around the Madison lakes was notably different prior to European settlement, with large bluffs that made overland travel difficult, making canoe travel a more efficient mode of transportation for certain routes, the WHS said.

Thomsen explained that the canoes have been preserved due to their burial under the lake’s sediment in about 25 feet of water, which protected them for millennia. Currently, there are no plans to retrieve the 14 canoes still underwater. However, the two previously recovered canoes are scheduled for display at the Wisconsin History Center in 2027.

The WHS conducted the research in collaboration with the First Nations of Wisconsin, emphasizing the cultural significance of the find. This cache of canoes is considered rare for the Midwest region, where such discoveries are uncommon, officials noted.