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 | Geo. Oscar | 1875-10-28 | 3 | Arrived Oct. 23rd, Benton Harbor, apples Cleared Oct. 23rd, Benton Harbor, light | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1877-05-10 | 3 | Arrived May 8th Manistee, 30m lumber, Cleared May 8th uskegon, sunds. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1877-12-27 | 3 | Is in the freighting business, on the Gulf of Mexico | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1877-04-12 | 8 | Cleared Ahnapee 6th for Milw. With 2,000 bushels of barley for Conways. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1875-08-19 | 3 | Cleared Aug 9th, Waukegan, 28 cords wood | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Geo. Oscar | 1875-10-28 | 3 | Ashore at Grand Haven and off with no damage | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1877-10-25 | 3 | To go to New Orleans | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1877-04-26 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee April 21 from Manitowoc, mdse: Cleared 24 for Milwaukee, mdse. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Geo. Oscar | 1877-04-05 | 8 | Arrived Ahnapee April 3 from Manitowoc with 300 bus. Seed wheat, 24 bbs flour and 2 ton of feed and 600 bus. Barley. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Geo. Pankratz | 1882-10-26 | 3 | Story about a boat signaling distress to find out if he had any fish |
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.