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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | City of Milwaukee | 1881-11-03 | 3 | Went into winter quarters here on Monday | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | City of Milwaukee | 1882-04-27 | 3 | Will take her place on the route between Milwaukee and Grand Haven on May 1st | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | City of Milwaukee | 1882-10-19 | 3 | Broke jibboom on the Gertie Wing and Ellen Stephenson | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | City of Milwaukee | 1883-04-26 | 3 | Old ton. (1148.72) compared with the present (871.59) with new arrangement. Lying here | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | City of Milwaukee | 1883-05-10 | 3 | Goodrich steamer sold for $175,000 | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | City of Milwaukee | 1885-08-20 | 3 | Broke her walking beam in mid lake friday | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | City of Milwaukee | 1891-08-06 | 3 | Owners say vessel is faster than the Virginia. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | City of Milwaukee | 1891-11-12 | 3 | Was lying at Grand Haven took fire on Mon. evening and was damaged to the extent of $5,000 | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Carferry | City of Milwaukee | 1 | To be launched at 11 Tuesday morning Nov. 25. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Carferry | City of Milwaukee | 1 | Being delivered to Grand Trunk railway. Cost $1,000,000. |
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.