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 | Jessie Phillips | 1881-06-30 | 3 | Tonnage 147, built at Manitowoc in 1868 by E. W. Parkard | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Jessie Phillips | 1879-08-21 | 3 | Capt. Bob Mountain sold schooner to Capt. Loutit for $2,300 | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Jessie Phillips | 1887-07-07 | 3 | In from Jacksonport in a waterlogged condition | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Jessie Spalding | 1909-08-12 | 1 | Capt. Travis dropped dead from stroke of appoplexy | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Jessie Spalding | 1892-08-04 | 3 | Arrived towing. Cleared Sturgeon Bay | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Jessie Spalding | 1897-01-09 | 1 | Damaged by fire | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Jessie Spaulding | 1909-12-16 | 1 | Feared lost but safe | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Jessie Spaulding | 1893-07-13 | 3 | Was in port for a short time last week and while here received a little fixing up. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Jessie Spaulding | 1914-05-08 | 1 | The schooner James Hall went on the rocks at Door Bluffs during a heavy fog. Was released with no damage. While on the trip north the Hall went after a load of coal from the steamer Jessie Spaulding, ashore on Fisherman's Shoal. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Jessie Spaulding | 1893-03-09 | 3 | In for coal and brought a large number of young men to see a good lively city. |
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.