From the Nominator

"“Mendota Remembers” highlights a discovery that sheds light on the original residents of the UW–Madison campus: the Indigenous Ho-Chunk people. In the summer of 2021, a maritime archaeologist doing some recreational diving in Madison’s Lake Mendota stumbled on what turned out to be the oldest intact vessel ever recovered from Wisconsin waters—a 1,200-year-old Ho-Chunk canoe. 

Provost’s prose sparkles as she delivers a multifaceted story that works on many levels: as a scientific suspense story; as a news-focused feature that reveals how marine biologists recovered the canoe, how they will preserve it, and what it can teach them about the history of the Woodland peoples; and as an advocacy piece for the Ho-Chunk people, whose history has typically gotten lost during depictions of the UW campus through the last 175 years. 

The article was in the magazine’s top 20 most viewed online articles for the year, with 2,700 page views. It also prompted effusive letters from readers along the lines of this one: “The story on the Ho-Chunk canoe was tremendous, brilliant, thrilling. Great writing!” Another wrote that the article was “excellent,” “packed with historical facts,” and “very readable and informative.”"

From the Judges

“Mendota Remembers” is a wonderful example of the power of storytelling. The writer skillfully weaves together history, archaeology, and a mystery that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. The judges were particularly impressed with the attention to detail, as well as the overall quality of the writing. This piece is a testament to the importance of taking the time to research and tell stories that not only captivate readers, but also educate and enlighten them.