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 | Fishing tug | J. N. Brooks | 1885-06-11 | 3 | Has been laid up at this port | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1905-12-01 | 1 | The tug J. N. Brooks has been taken up above Second street bridge and laid up for the winter, it having been stated that she will not engage in fishing this winter. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1905-09-15 | 1 | Sinks while lying at her dock. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1899-09-22 | 3 | Steam was raised on the fish tug and she went out and lifted a gang of nets. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1899-06-30 | 3 | Was taken to Sturgeon Bay and put on the boxes to have a leak stopped around her stern bearings or sleeve. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1903-10-30 | 1 | Thos. Swaty left Monday for Eagle Island to resume his position as engineer on the fishing tug J. N. Brooks, now engaged in fishing in Green Bay waters. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fishing tug | J. N. Brooks | 1902-11-14 | 1 | Arrived in port from Detroit Harbor where the boat has been engaged in the fishing business for the past couple of months. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fish tug | J. N. Brooks | 1902-05-30 | 1 | The fish tug J. N. Brooks and schooner Leo cleared Sunday morning for Washington Island, where they will engage in fishing. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1902-07-18 | 1 | The tug J. N. Brooks went to Sturgeon Bay Sunday to tow the schooner Leo to this port where she will be laid up for the time being. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | J. N. Brooks | 1900-05-18 | 1 | Capt. F. Chapek and Geo. Bohman each bought the quarter share from Geo. Winnegar and Frank Hildebrant. |
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.