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 | Scow | I. A. Johnson | 1884-10-02 | 3 | Placed in the dry dock on Sunday for repairs | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | I. A. Johnson | 1894-06-14 | 2 | Received cargo of 50 tons of baled hay from our pier last week. | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | I. A. Johnson | 1882-05-11 | 3 | Fastest time of sail vessel between Washington Island + Sheboygan | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | I. A. Johnson | 1888-07-07 | 3 | Went north | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | I. A. Johnson | 1887-10-20 | 3 | The I. A. Johnson, laden with a cargo of lumber awaited favorable winds in this harbor on Sunday. She was bound for Sheboygan. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | I. A. Johnson | 1879-11-20 | 4 | The schooner I. A. Johnson cleared last night with 70 cds. Of wood for F. Swaty & Son. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | I. A. Johnson | 1879-12-11 | 4 | The scow brought with her 70 tons of feed for F. Swaty & Son, besides large quantities of corn, hay and pork. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | I. A. Johnson | 1881-04-21 | 3 | The schooner I. A. Johnson, with 75 cords of wood for F. Swaty & Son, sailed for Milwaukee from Foscoro last Saturday. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Scow | I. A. Johnson | 1890-09-25 | 3 | Collided with schooner Lincoln Daws seven miles off Centerville | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | I. A. Johnson | 1881-05-12 | 3 | Took wood from Detroit Island to Milwaukee |
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.