Wisconsin diver finds 17-foot canoe underwater, radiocarbon dating puts it at 1,000 years

Wisconsin diver finds 17-foot canoe underwater, radiocarbon dating puts it at 1,000 years (Image Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society) An ordinary dive in search of old bottles has led to an extraordinary archaeological discovery beneath a Wisconsin lake. Mark Schachtner, a diver from Beaver Dam, spotted a partially buried 17-foot dugout canoe while exploring Pewaukee Lake in May. Radiocarbon dating has since established that the vessel is about 1,000 years old. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the canoe dates to the Late Woodland period and is made of white oak. The Society is consulting with Native Nations and archaeological experts to document the discovery, while the canoe will remain submerged rather than being removed from the lake.Diver searching for bottles finds an ancient canoeSchachtner has been diving in southeastern Wisconsin for about a decade and regularly explores lakes with the Four Seasons Dive Club, often looking for old embossed glass bottles. During a dive in Pewaukee Lake in early May, however, he noticed what appeared to be a much older object resting on the lake bottom.Schachtner told Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) that the canoe was the oldest h...