From Wood to Watercraft: Dugout Canoes of Wisconsin

For adults.

Sissel Schroeder, Professor of Anthropology at UW Madison, will educate us about the Wisconsin Dugout Canoe Survey Project.

When this project started in 2018, 11 dugout canoes were documented in Wisconsin, ranging in age from about 150 years old to a fragment from Kenosha County that is 1,850 years old. By February 2024, there were 95 reports of dugouts in the state (the research team has confirmed and documented 73 of them). These discoveries put Wisconsin second in eastern North America for the number of reported dugout canoes. The Wisconsin sample of dugouts has two of the 10 oldest dugouts in eastern North America that range between 4,000 and 6,000 years old.

The goals of the Wisconsin Dugout Canoe Survey include locating, identifying, and documenting dugouts across the state; measuring and describing the dugouts to compare size and form; using modern technology to develop 3D models of each dugout that will make them broadly accessible; determining the type of wood used to make the dugout; determining the age of the dugout using historic records, evidence of manufacturing methods, and radiocarbon dates; and describing the condition of the dugout and how it is stored or presented to develop a set of best practices for the conservation, preservation, curation, and exhibition of this rare form of material culture.

Don't miss this fascinating lecture and opportunity to glimpse the front lines of Wisconsin history as it's being made.