Search below for stories about ships, lighthouses, sailors and anything else about life on Lake Michigan. The database contains references to articles from the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record (June 12, 1873 to Jan. 7, 1927), the Door County Advocate (Nov. 8, 1861 to Dec. 22, 1949), and the Manitowoc Pilot (June 14, 1859 to Dec. 28, 1899). The results will direct you to the date and page in these newspapers where the article can be found.
Microfilm copies of the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, Algoma Public Library in Algoma. Microfilm copies of the Door County Advocate are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, the Door County Public Library in Sturgeon Bay, and the Brown County Library in Green Bay. Microfilm of the Manitowoc Pilot are available at the Manitowoc County Historical Society, the Manitowoc Public Library, and the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.
Check with your local library about obtaining the microfilm via interlibrary loan.
| Newspaper | Object | Name | Date | Page | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | City of Grand Rapids | 1898-10-01 | 1 | In for repairs | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | City of Grand Rapids | 1897-05-08 | 1 | Released from Mackinac island | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | City of Grand Rapids | 1897-07-17 | 1 | Towed into the lake | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | City of Grand Rapids | 1899-08-11 | 1 | Near foundering with 200 people on board. The engineer got the pumps working when the water was with 2 inches of the fires. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | City of Grand Rapids | 1892-11-17 | 3 | Was in the harbor windbound this week. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | City of Grand Rapids | 1 | Goodrich fleet appointments. Master M. F. Morgan | |||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | City of Grand Rapids | 1901-12-28 | 1 | Wintering at Milwaukee | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | City of Grand Rapids | 1897-05-08 | 1 | To Menominee for wood | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | City of Grand Rapids | 1897-04-17 | 1 | First of white winged lumber fleet to reach Menominee | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | City of Grand Rapids | 1902-09-19 | 1 | The steamer Empire State was disabled at Sturgeon Bay. The steamer City of Grand Rapids will take her place until she is repaired. |
This database is a cooperative effort of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association (WUAA), the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. The project is spearheaded by WUAA member Russel Leitz, who helped develop a framework for the database and painstakingly combed through 54 years of the Ahnapee (Algoma) Record, 87 years of the Door County Advocate and 40 years of the Manitowoc Pilot for maritime news. The more than 50,000 references are the fruit of his labor alone.