Ancient canoes found in the bed of Lake Mendota in Madison are giving insight to indigenous ways of life for people living in the area more than 5,000 years ago.
As WXPR reported in 2021, an extremely well-preserved canoe that is thought to be 1,200 years old was pulled from the lake.
Since then, a total of 16 canoes have been discovered—the oldest estimated to be 5,200 years old.
Of the 16 canoes found in Lake Mendota, two have been pulled out and are in the process of being preserved which is a multi-year process. The rest remains in the lakebed…