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 | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1869-04-30 | 1 | Broke two propeller blades | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1869-07-02 | 1 | On the boxes, found that 12+ of keel had been broken off | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1869-08-19 | 1 | Excursion to Sheboygan | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1869-10-21 | 1 | Towed in schooner Milwaukee Belle damaged | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1869-11-18 | 1 | Towed Sea Gem to take merchandise off beached barge Iowa | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1869-12-16 | 1 | Unsuccessful in getting scow Blue Bell off at Baileys Harbor | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1870-03-17 | 3 | Undergoing thorough overhauling | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1870-04-14 | 3 | Pulled Neville not Bell off beAch at Sanday Bay | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1870-05-05 | 3 | Towing Transit when Transit caught her rigging in bridge | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1870-07-28 | 3 | Finally got Apprentice Boy off |
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.