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 | Schooner | Ellen G. Cocheren | 1879-10-16 | 3 | Capt. Burmeister+s new sch. arrived yesterday with a cargo of fruit | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Ellen G. Cochrane | 1880-04-08 | 3 | Was launched on sat. last. Has undergone extensive repairs | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Fishing tug | Ellen Gertrude | 8 | Captain J. N. Gallagher is the only man to take a boat through the Sttraits of Mackinaw in Jan. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Ellen M. Smith | 1887-06-25 | 3 | In port | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Ellen Pike | 1873-12-04 | 3 | The anchors, sails &c., saved from the wreck of the Ellen Pike at Kewaunee, were sold at U. S. Marshal sale, last Thursday. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Ellen Spry | 1891-01-10 | 5 | Built in 1967 in Little Sturgeon - Thos. Spear builder + architect | ||
| Door County Advocate | Ellen Spry | 1876-08-24 | 3 | Carrying as much as 500,000 ft. per trip | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Ellen Spry | 1886-11-11 | 3 | Sprung a leak + foundered off Manitou Islands | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Ellen Spry | 1878-08-01 | 3 | Was injured in her main rigging by fouling with the schooner C. C. Barnes | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Ellen Stephenson | 1877-11-15 | 3 | Arrived Nov. 8th, Milw., light. |
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.