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 | Grand Army of the Republic | 1887-05-14 | 3 | To be newly launched | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Grand Haven | 1903-09-19 | 1 | Put on run (carferry) | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Grand Haven | 1904-03-19 | 1 | Change in command | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Carferry | Grand Haven | 1 | In for repairs. Crew member killed by railroad cars. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Carferry | Grand Haven | 1 | One of 4 Grand Trunk railway carferries purchased by Pennsylvania railroad. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Grand Haven | 1911-09-07 | 1 | To be overhauled for winter | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Grand Haven | 1905-12-09 | 1 | Broke wheel | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Grand Haven | 1916-11-03 | 2 | The schooner Lucy A. Simpson is one of the only seven large sailing craft now plying the lakes. The others of her class are the Stafford, Kewaunee, Alice, Grand Haven, J. B. Taylor, and Edward Skeel. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Grand Haven | 1916-08-24 | 1 | Not much work done on her | |
| Door County Advocate | Carferry | Grand Haven | 1918-02-14 | 5 | Stuck in ice off Grand Haven for about 10 days |
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.