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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1897-12-18 | 1 | Second mate broke foot | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1899-07-15 | 1 | Collided with John T. Johnson saving sailor | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1902-12-27 | 1 | Owners to ask salvage claim of $10,000 for saving steamer Colonial | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1903-03-28 | 1 | Name changed to Three Brothers | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1898-02-12 | 1 | Negotiations for sale | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1901-04-13 | 1 | Sold ( was called the May Durr) | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1902-07-19 | 1 | Collided with bridge | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1903-01-31 | 1 | To be widened | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Spry | 1903-01-03 | 1 | Crew desert | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | John Stanton | 1925-04-17 | 7 | Has on 9,000 tons of coal for Milwaukee |
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.