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 | Lady Elgin | 1860-09-14 | 3 | One body picked up by steamer Ogontz | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Lady Elgin | 1860-09-14 | 1 | Steamer sunk - 400 lives lost - run into by schooner Augusta | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Lady Elgin | 1860-09-21 | 2 | Testimony of Agusta officers in sinking and Chincago Democrat article | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lady Elgin | 1860-10-05 | 3 | Article on disaster from the Toledo Blade | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lady Elgin | 1860-11-16 | 3 | Lady Elgin relief fund | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lady Elgin | 1860-12-14 | 3 | Finally estimated that there were 378 lives lost | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lady Elgin | 1861-09-06 | 2 | Body of wife of Allen Williams found | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lady Elgin | 1872-10-10 | 2 | Song on loss published here | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steameer | Lady Elgin | 2 | Survivor on ill-fated steamer dies. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Lady Elgin | 1910-09-16 | 1 | The Pere Marquette No. 18 went down with 31 on board. The Pere Marquette No. 17 went to its rescue. Worst disaster on the lakes since the sinking of the Lady Elgin in 1860. |
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.