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 | Tug | John Gregory | 1881-08-04 | 3 | The schooner S. Bates collided with a barge in tow of the tug John Gregory. The schooner was towed into Chicago by tug Thomas Hood. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | John Gregory | 1881-08-25 | 3 | The Blue Belle was damaged about $100 by the tug John Gregory passing through canal too fast, swell pushed it against a vessel. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | John Gregory | 1881-07-28 | 3 | The tug arrived in the port of Racine and reported having lost three scows outside, during a severe storm. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | John Gregory | 1881-07-28 | 3 | The captain of the tug reported having seen the body of a dead man off Racine but on account of the roughness of the lake passed by. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | John Gregory | 1881-08-25 | 3 | The tug John Gregory arrived in port last Mon. with two light scows intended for transporting brick from this place to Sturgeon Bay. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | John H. Hall | 1891-04-16 | 3 | Left last week for Manistee. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | John H. Ketchum | 1912-11-29 | 8 | While unloading steel rails, one fell on a 17 year old worker and broke his arm in two places. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | John H. Meade | 1909-07-23 | 1 | Cast anchor off this port to wait until the sea ran down. She cleared for the south Wednesday morning. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | John H. Meade | 1913-01-09 | 1 | New raid on starboard side | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | John H. Moran | 1899-02-16 | 3 | Crushed by the ice near Grand Haven. |
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.