Wisconsin divers reveal mysterious underwater parking lot of ancient canoes preserved for millennia

Fox ^ | 11/28/25 | Andrea Margolis

[week 71]

Wisconsin officials recently announced the discovery of a trove of ancient canoes in an underwater "parking lot" of sorts — including one that predates the Pyramids of Giza.

The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) announced this month that its experts have identified 14 canoes in Madison's Lake Mendota so far, six of which were found this spring. The WHS worked with the First Nations of Wisconsin during the research process, a release noted.

---

TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: andreamargolis; canoe; godsgravesglyphs; lakemendota; precolumbian; prehistory; wisconsin

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Boating accidents?

[RoosterRedux]

I always park my canoe underwater.

Keeps it out of sight. If canoe thieves can't see it, they can't steal it.

[Redmen4ever]

The oldest canoes were owned by white people. The original people of North America.

[blackpacific]

Probably sunk during Noah’s Flood.

[GaltAdonis]

Also works just as well as hiding the canoe in the mountain laurel and
redbud tree shrubs to avoid paying the canoe ‘Boating License’ fee to
home-owner association HOA.
That’s what my former girlfriend found out all by herself in her lovely blonde brain.

[fidelis]

"The vessels were used to catch fish, make travel more efficient and facilitate trade, the WHS said."

Brilliant deduction, Sherlock.

[j.havenfarm]

I can’t fathom how this could happen. Canoe?

[KarlInOhio]

Did they find stacks of bows and arrows from tragic fishing accidents? No, of course they didn’t because the chief never threatened bow control.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I wouldn’t expect to find stacks of guns and ammo underwater in the vicinity of sunken boats, either. It’s almost as though people might claim their guns were lost in boating accidents and then hide them somewhere.

I believe you’re right about the lack of bow control back then, though.

[grame]

Talk about jumping to conclusions! I corrected the headline to drivers as soon as I read underwater parking lot, even considering what underwater was doing there, concluding that the article would explain why! If that was a trap, I fell right in. Yikes.

[bigbob]

They should fetch ‘em up and rent ‘em to hipsters looking for an authentic paddling experience

[Sawdring]

Noah’s flood was 11,700 years ago.

[SaxxonWoods]

A meter maid has been sent down to issue parking tickets....

[ProtectOurFreedom]

At least he didn’t add “running cocaine.” Then it would have been a highly suspect speculation.

[tired&retired]

Indian submarines?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Am I to deduce that those natives weren’t good canoe builders because they all sank?

Since when do we have “First Nations of Wisconsin”? I thought we had all agreed that “Native Americans” was the official replacement for Injuns. Are we now adopting language from Canuckistan?

[Ezekiel]

Underwater parking lot?

You know what *that* means —

Birch your bottom dollar, somebody oars more than those canoes are worth.

Be careful not to get soaked out there folks.

“Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters”.

[1FreeAmerican]

HAHA! ISWYDT 🤣🤣

[Jeff Vader]

maybe prior nations, because there’s no record of who it was they took the land from. Then even those guys may have taken it from someone else.