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 | Harbor | Lake Michigan | 1875-05-27 | 8 | Price of bids for harbor improvements listed. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Harbor | Lake Michigan | 1 | Timber for piers to be purchased from Washington and Oregon | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Harbor | Lake Michigan | 1875-06-03 | 8 | Information on bids for harbors including pier work. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Lake Michigan | 1887-06-09 | 3 | Ran ashore in a fog near Port Colborne and taken off | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Life saving | Lake Michigan | 1905-12-15 | 1 | Supt. Kimball praises life savers. Information on season. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Lake Michign | 1911-12-28 | 1 | Discovered on fire - damage about $5,000 | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Propeller | Lake Ontario | 1879-11-27 | 4 | The propeller Lake Ontario is ashore on Green Island, Lake Ontario. She is loaded with pig-iron. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Lake Pewaukee | 1 | Launched at shipyard. Full canal size and built for U. S. government. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Lake Shore | 1907-10-17 | 1 | Collided with Fred Pabst in the rapids of the St. Clair river | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Lake Shore | 1912-05-09 | 1 | Had difficult time getting through Washington street draw |
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.