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 | Steamer | John B. Cowle | 2 | Struck by steamer Isaac M. Scott off Whitefish Point, L. Superior and sank. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John B. Cowle | 1909-07-15 | 1 | Collided with Isaac M. Scott off Whitefish point and went to bottom in 3 minutes - 14 lives lost | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John B. Ketcham | 1914-12-03 | 1 | Lost deck load and badly battered | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John B. Ketcham 2d | 1907-09-05 | 1 | Passed thru | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John B. Ketcham II | 1911-02-23 | 1 | Wrecking claim of $19,000 against it | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John B. Ketcham No.2 | 1910-05-26 | 1 | Sank in west Neebish channel | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | John B. Ketchum | 1892-12-01 | 3 | Departed Tonawanda | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John B. Lyon | 1898-01-08 | 1 | Hold coal cargoes for January and February | |
| Door County Advocate | John B. Lyon | 1901-01-05 | 1 | Lost during past season | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | John B. Lyon | 1896-11-28 | 5 | Loaded 100,000 bu. of oats for Buffalo |
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.