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 | Kitty Smoke | 1875-04-29 | 8 | Arrived here on Tuesday with steam pump, to assist in relieving the Sea Gem. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1875-11-04 | 8 | The wrecking tug Kitty Smoke left the schooner Golden rule at anchor in Sandy Bay, during the recent storm, and took refuge in our harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1874-05-21 | 3 | Tug Kitty Smoke succeeded in releasing the schooner Warren from the beach at Kewaunee. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1877-01-04 | 8 | A new hull is being built at Manitowoc for the machinery of the old tug Kitty Smoke. The Smoke has made more money in her days than the average crafts. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1889-12-07 | 5 | Burned at mouth of Saginaw river, Mich. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1883-05-17 | 3 | At Milwaukee towing wrecking tug Leviathan | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1885-07-16 | 3 | Hull unseaworthy | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1879-10-23 | 3 | Sold to Escanaba parties | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1877-06-28 | 3 | Is towing at Escanaba | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1881-05-05 | 3 | To engage in wrecking here |
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.