Tamara Thomsen

Tamara Thomsen
Tamara Thomsen
	; Tamara Thomsen in 2013
Occupation	archeologist

Tamara Thomsen is a American Maritime archeologist, known for her work studying ship-wrecks in the Great Lakes.^[1]

Thomsen has discovered some of Wisconsin's oldest artifacts.^[2] Among the various kinds of vessels Thomsen studies are: dugout canoes, double centerboard schooners.^[3]^[3]^[4] She has also studied the impact of the fur trade on Wisconsin.^[5]

References

↑ Shivani Vora (2025-11-24). "At the Great Lakes, Unearthing the Submerged History". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-01-09. As a maritime archaeologist in Wisconsin, in the American Midwest, she spends many of her days descending into the Great Lakes to uncover lives and moments that have been submerged for centuries.
↑ Jacqueline Kehoe (January 2025). "Archaeologists Are Finding Dugout Canoes in the American Midwest as Old as the Great Pyramids of Egypt". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-09. Thomsen has made discoveries at Lake Mendota that stand as some of the state’s oldest: Carbon dating places her first find at 1,200 years old, and her second around 3,000 years old. The Mendota cache currently includes the survey’s oldest, an elm dugout carbon-dated at more than 4,500 years old.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Jenna Mertz (2024-01-30). "A deep dive into the double centerboard schooner shipwrecks of the Great Lakes". Wisconsin Sea Grant. Retrieved 2026-01-09. It was a rare feature on a Great Lakes ship and a short-lived one. Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen said double centerboards faded from use by the 1870s, and many questions about their evolution and decline remain.
↑ Todd Richmond (2025-11-22). "Wisconsin archaeologists identify 16 ancient canoes in a prehistoric lake 'parking lot'". IndiJ Public Media. Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved 2026-01-09. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced Wednesday that archaeologists have mapped the location of 16 canoes submerged in the lake bed of Lake Mendota in Madison. Tamara Thomsen, the state’s maritime archaeologist, said that the site lies near a network of what were once Indigenous trails, suggesting ancient people left the canoes there for anyone to use as they traveled, much like a modern-day e-bike rack.
↑ Jennifer Smith (2020-04-27). "Maritime archaeology initiative will bring Wisconsin's historic lumber trade alive for learners of all ages". Wisconsin Sea Grant. Retrieved 2026-01-09. WHS Maritime Archaeologists Caitlin Zant and Tamara Thomsen will lead the project, which also involves Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Anne Moser, who oversees the Wisconsin Water Library and education activities.

[nytimes2025-11-24-1] Shivani Vora (2025-11-24). "At the Great Lakes, Unearthing the Submerged History". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-01-09. As a maritime archaeologist in Wisconsin, in the American Midwest, she spends many of her days descending into the Great Lakes to uncover lives and moments that have been submerged for centuries.

[smithsonianmag2024-12-24-2] Jacqueline Kehoe (January 2025). "Archaeologists Are Finding Dugout Canoes in the American Midwest as Old as the Great Pyramids of Egypt". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-09. Thomsen has made discoveries at Lake Mendota that stand as some of the state’s oldest: Carbon dating places her first find at 1,200 years old, and her second around 3,000 years old. The Mendota cache currently includes the survey’s oldest, an elm dugout carbon-dated at more than 4,500 years old.

[seagrant2024-01-30-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Jenna Mertz (2024-01-30). "A deep dive into the double centerboard schooner shipwrecks of the Great Lakes". Wisconsin Sea Grant. Retrieved 2026-01-09. It was a rare feature on a Great Lakes ship and a short-lived one. Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Archaeologist Tamara Thomsen said double centerboards faded from use by the 1870s, and many questions about their evolution and decline remain.

[Ict2025-11-22-4] Todd Richmond (2025-11-22). "Wisconsin archaeologists identify 16 ancient canoes in a prehistoric lake 'parking lot'". IndiJ Public Media. Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved 2026-01-09. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced Wednesday that archaeologists have mapped the location of 16 canoes submerged in the lake bed of Lake Mendota in Madison. Tamara Thomsen, the state’s maritime archaeologist, said that the site lies near a network of what were once Indigenous trails, suggesting ancient people left the canoes there for anyone to use as they traveled, much like a modern-day e-bike rack.

[seagrant2020-04-27-5] Jennifer Smith (2020-04-27). "Maritime archaeology initiative will bring Wisconsin's historic lumber trade alive for learners of all ages". Wisconsin Sea Grant. Retrieved 2026-01-09. WHS Maritime Archaeologists Caitlin Zant and Tamara Thomsen will lead the project, which also involves Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Anne Moser, who oversees the Wisconsin Water Library and education activities.

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