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 | Tug | Elsa M. | 1898-08-27 | 1 | Purchased | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Elsa M. | 1899-01-28 | 1 | Purchased for $1,000 | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Elsa M. | 1895-11-07 | 3 | The tug Elsa M. was in this harbor last Friday, for a few hours. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fish tug | Elsie | 1914-11-27 | 2 | Returned to Kewaunee from Green Bay fishing grounds. Fishing has been poor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Elsie M. | 1914-12-18 | 1 | The Elsie M., in a raging storm, found buoys with hooks and knowing they were lost lifted them. They contacted local fisherman to get them back their hooks. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fishing tug | Elsie M. | 1915-07-09 | 3 | The fishing tug pulled her hooks out of the lake and retired to quarters in the North Branch for a 5 week rest. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fish tug | Elsie M. | 1915-04-30 | 3 | Kewaunee. Returned to Kewaunee from Washington Island. Fishing in the vicinity of the Island is poor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fish tug | Elsie M. | 1917-04-20 | 1 | The Elsie M. was about seven miles southeast of the Kewaunee piers when the engine broke down. She drifted and grounded many times before relief tugs brought her in to port. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam tug | Elsie M. | 1916-12-08 | 3 | Kewaunee. Fishing out of Kewaunee this winter does not promise to be very lively. The steam tugs Elsie M. and Indian being the only large craft thus far to enroll in the local winter service. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | elsie M. | 1 | In for repairs due to broken wheel. |
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.