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 | Schooner | J. W. Wright | 1899-10-13 | 3 | The schooner came in with a load of fruit. She left for Menominee to dispose of the balance of her cargo. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | J. W. Wright | 1889-10-31 | 3 | The schooner arrived on Wednesday from Pentwater, Mich., with a cargo of grapes and winter apples. She cleared Sunday for Menominee. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | J. W. Wright | 1885-10-01 | 3 | The schooner J. W. Wright took out a load of bark Saturday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | J. W. Wright | 1899-11-24 | 3 | In port with part of a cargo of apples which he sold for 50 cents per bushel, the apples being of a poor quality. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | J. W. Wright | 1887-04-21 | 3 | The little schooner J. W. Wright of Chicago, bound north, was in port Monday, windbound. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | J. W. Wright | 1889-05-02 | 3 | Capt. Wm. Armstrong purchases the J. W. Wright in Chicago. Cleared here with a small cargo of butter and eggs for Menominee Mich. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | J. Watson Stephenson | 1919-06-06 | 5 | Will not be seen in these waters this season | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | J. Whitworth | 1905-02-04 | 1 | Whaleback sold - going to coast | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | J. Wright | 1893-09-14 | 3 | One of vessels in this harbor within the past few days. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Jack Thompson | 1897-08-28 | 1 | Owned by Captain Williams when wrecked |
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.