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 | Free Mason | 1866-04-13 | 1 | Capsized in river at Milwaukee | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Free Mason | 1864-12-02 | 1 | Made winter quarters in our river | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Free State | 1859-12-09 | 3 | Picked up all hands from sunk propeller Milwaukee | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Free State | 1870-04-28 | 3 | First arrival from below at Milwaukee, 1861, Apr. 25 | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Free State | 1861-04-26 | 3 | First boat through the straits of Mackinac | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Free Trader | 1870-04-07 | 4 | Hauled on beach for repairs | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Free Trader | 1869-04-09 | 1 | Manitowoc vessel, 9.10 tons | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Free Trader | 1869-12-02 | 4 | Probably sank - paragraph on it | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Freight company | Freight company | 1922-05-05 | 1 | Information on Algoma businessmen meeting to get freight service. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Freight company | Freight company | 1922-05-12 | 1 | Business men from the west shore of Lake Michigan meet at Chicago with transit companies. |
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.