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 | Ice breaker | Algomah | 1900-01-20 | 1 | To keep channel open | |
| Door County Advocate | Algomah | 1900-04-14 | 1 | New shaft and wheel | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Algomah | 1897-12-18 | 1 | Ice crushing ferry | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ferry boat | Algomah | 1883-02-01 | 3 | Working through ice between Mackinaw and Point St. Ignace | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ice crusher | Algomah | 8 | Has been engaged to keep a channel open between Menominee and Sturgeon Bay. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ice crusher | Algomah | 5 | Disabled near Green Bay and it is supposed she broke a shaft. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ice crusher | Algomah | 8 | Frozen fast some distance from shore with her machinery seriously damaged. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Algomah | 12 | Left the dry-dock receiving repairs from ice imprisonment. | |||
| Door County Advocate | Ferry | Algomah | 1929-09-27 | 6 | Lowered from boxes | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Ice crusher | Algomah | 1902-11-14 | 4 | Has been chartered by the Barry Line to keep the channel across the bay open during the winter and the boat will reach Sturgeon Bay on her initial trip Dec. 20. |
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.