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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Crystal | 1917-03-23 | 1 | The fish boat Martha S., which has practically been placed in ordinary during the winter, will leave early next week for Washington Island. The tug Crystal is still in ordinary here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Crystal | 1915-01-01 | 1 | Fishing out of this port at present isn't anything to speak of. Wednesday the tug Henry Gust lifted 180 pounds, the tug Crystal caught one lone fish and Bill Shirkey with his gasoline boat got four lawyers and one blister. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Crystal | 1907-09-12 | 1 | In port | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Crystal | 1916-04-06 | 1 | Making trips | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Crystal | 1921-04-29 | 4 | Present and past owner given | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Crystal | 1917-02-02 | 1 | Most of the Algoma's fish fleet were engaged in breaking a channel thru the slush and ice in the local harbor. Due to poor fishing the tug Crystal had laid up last week. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Crystal | 1915-02-26 | 1 | Is again operating out of this port. It was forced to suspend operations during the cold spell on account of the amount of ice in the lake. The Crystal is also fishing again. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Crystal | 1909-07-08 | 1 | Passed through north | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Crystal | 1907-05-23 | 1 | In port | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Crystal | 1921-06-24 | 8 | In to have a rebuild |
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.