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 | Geo. Nelson | 1887-07-14 | 3 | Instead of Bob Anderson taking the place of the James Reid, it will be the barge Thos. H., Smith and the tug Geo. Nelson. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1887-08-11 | 3 | Tug Geo. Nelson towed the barge Emerald to Manitowoc. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1901-09-27 | 1 | Went aground on the northeast end of Dunlap reef in Sturgeon Bay. The tugs A. J. Wright, Geo. Nelson, O. M. Field, Arctic and Leathem and Cecelia Hill couldn't release her. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1897-03-20 | 1 | Appointments of masters and engineers | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1891-03-14 | 5 | Assignment of officers | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1901-06-01 | 1 | New strack put on her | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1890-07-24 | 3 | The tug Geo. Nelson stooped here for a short time on Tuesday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1900-11-30 | 1 | The tugs Geo. Nelson and John Leathem ran in here to telephone whether they could get into the canal or not. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1887-07-14 | 3 | Tug Geo. Nelson and tug Jesse Spaulding raced. Nelson won. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Geo. Nelson | 1901-10-25 | 8 | From Sturgeon Bay. The dismasted schooner C. J. Magill was brought in here by the tugs Thos. Thompson and Geo. Nelson. The wrecking tug A. J. Wright cleaned up the wrecked spars and rigging. |
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.