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 | Jessie Winters | 1880-02-05 | 4 | Has been lying off this port ever since last Sunday due to the channel being blockaded with ice. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Jessie Winters | 1880-01-15 | 4 | Fears for the safety of the schooner. Intelligence brought in that she is all right. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Jessie Winters | 1902-11-15 | 1 | In from lake | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Jessie Winters | 1880-01-29 | 4 | The schooner Jessie Winters cleared last Monday with a cargo of wheat for C. H. Sabin. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Jessie Winters | 1879-04-10 | 8 | Arrived here. Was altered over into a three-and after and lengthened 17 feet. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Jesssie Phillips | 1869-12-09 | 1 | Dismantled and gone into winter quarters at this port | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Jet | 1907-10-31 | 1 | Sunk by steamer Norwalk | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Jewett | 1893-07-06 | 3 | Rescued sailors from capsized schooner John Rice off Thunder Bay. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Jewett | 1887-05-26 | 3 | Made round trip from Buffalo to Chicago in 6 days and 20 hrs. Said to be fastest time ever | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Jex | 1910-05-26 | 1 | On the rocks off Thunder bay island |
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.