A dugout canoe measuring 15 feet in length was discovered in Wisconsin's Lake Mendota recently



Using advanced technology, experts have determined that the canoe dates back to approximately 1,200 years ago.

As the well-preserved canoe was retrieved from the lake, Wisconsin state archaeologist Jim Skibo remarked, "This is the first time this thing has been out of the water in 1,200 years.” The remarkable find was brought to the surface in November 2021 after being spotted by maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen, who was observing a school of fish at the lake's bottom.

Thomsen noticed a protruding log on the lakebed and upon closer inspection, identified it as a canoe. A wood sample was sent for carbon dating, revealing an astonishing result—the wood dated back to 800 A.D. Thomsen had discovered a 1,200-year-old canoe.

The canoe is believed to have belonged to ancestors of the Ho-Chunk Native Americans, who constructed dugout canoes by burning the inside of logs and shaping them with stone tools. "Consider cutting down a tree that's two-and-a-half feet wide with a stone tool and then hollowing it out and making it float," Skibo explained "It must have taken hundreds of hours and a great deal of skill."

The vessel will undergo several years of preservation treatment and may eventually find its place in a proposed Wisconsin Historical Society museum in Madison.

"Hopefully the canoe will play a role here," said Skibo. "It's a great artifact for telling multiple stories.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This photograph captures one of the last moments of this woman’s life.

Image
Cheng Benhua was a resistance fighter who gave her life defending her home country of China against the Japanese Imperial Army.  She has become a symbol of bravery in the face of death and unspeakable abuse.  Not long before striking this defiant pose, Cheng Benhua was repeatedly abused by her Japanese captors.  Despite the awareness that she would soon be killed, she still managed to put on a devious smile that made it seem like she was taunting the soldiers around her. Cheng Benhua's unwavering courage in the face of death has become an iconic representation of fearless resistance. A photograph, taken by a Japanese photographer shortly before she was fatally wounded in 1938, captures her unyielding spirit.  Not long before striking this defiant pose, Cheng Benhua was repeatedly abused and raped by her Japanese captors.  Despite enduring severe mistreatment at the hands of her captors, she appears to smile as she faces death, with her
Read more

American soldiers execute SS camp guards who have been lined up against a wall during the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.

Image
Following the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, American troops felt an urge to personally punish the camp's guards. What exactly transpired still isn't known. Dachau concentration camp, located in the state of Bavaria, Germany, was the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime. On April 29, 1945, Dachau was liberated by the U.S seventh Army’s 45th Infantry Division. Corpses of prisoners in the Dachau death trains. 1945. But it wasn’t just liberated. Reports indicated that, appalled by what they saw, members of the U.S army were driven to take revenge. They allegedly murdered the SS officers and guards who were responsible for the Holocaust horrors that took place at Dachau. The troops arrived at the Dachau concentration camp in the afternoon. They were on their way to Munich which was just over ten miles from Dachau. Though the troops passed through Dachau, it wasn’t initially a part of the attack zones they were headed for.
Read more

A U.S. marine gives a cigarette to an injured Japanese soldier, buried in the sand at the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.

Image
A U.S. marine gives a cigarette to an injured Japanese soldier, buried in the sand at the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Equipped with a grenade, the soldier lay in ambush for 36 hours. Marines spotted him concealed in the dark sand and managed to dislodge the grenade out of his reach. Although he surrendered, the cautious Marines suspected potential booby traps and approached carefully. At his request, he was given a cigarette, and thereafter, they cautiously removed him from the shell hole. The 3rd and 4th Marine Divisions broke up the remaining organized resistance on March 16, 1945, the same day this photo was taken. Occasionally individual enemy soldiers armed with demolition charges and grenades raced out against tanks or groups of Marines but were shot down before they could do any great damage to personnel or equipment. Isolated pockets, totaling some 3,000 enemy soldiers, remained around the island. US V Amphibious Corps Command declared Iwo Jima secure at 1800
Read more