WAYZATA, Minn. (AP) - Researchers say a dugout canoe discovered 80 years ago in Lake Minnetonka could be nearly 1,000 years old, far older than previously thought.
A Minnesota Public Radio report (https://bit.ly/1gnijbD ) this week says the canoe was removed from the lake in 1934. It was believed to be several hundred years old, but new radiocarbon dating suggests it was built between the years 1025 and 1165. That would make it about 850 to 1,000 years old.
The canoe is on display at the Western Hennepin County Pioneer Association Museum in Long Lake.
Two brothers discovered the canoe during a severe drought in August 1934. They were building an extension to their dock, and they hit an obstruction about a foot below the silt. Researchers say the earth and water helped preserve the canoe.
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Online:
Minnesota Dugout Canoe Project: https://www.maritimeheritagemn.org/mdcproject.html
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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, https://www.mprnews.org
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