Did you know
Lake Mendota in Wisconsin
was an ancient parking lot
for indigenous peoples
passing through the area?
I'm Erica Ayisi
a reporter with
PBS Wisconsin.
Sixteen wooden
canoes were found
at the bottom
of Lake Mendota
dating back at least
4000 years.
I spoke with Tamara Thomsen
a marine archeologist
who extracted
two of these canoes
from the bottom of the lake,
and she's working with
Wisconsin's Native nations
to understand the history
behind these canoes
and the importance
of preserving them.
The 14 remaining
canoes will stay here
at the bottom
of Lake Mendota,
and the two extracted
canoes are being studied
and preserved.
If you want to know more
about these ancient canoes
and how Indigenous peoples
used them
go to pbswisconsin.org
and click on the news tab.