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 | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1894-01-18 | 3 | Capt. James Tufts and Thomas Swaty went to Kewaunee last Tuesday, to look after the steambarge Mary Mills in winter quarters there. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-12-14 | 3 | Recently blockaded in the ice in Green Bay, was released and has made a trip to Chicago. She will be placed in winter quarters here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-04-27 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills, which is being rebuilt here, was last week taken down through the bridge, and now lies in the harbor just below second street. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-03-30 | 3 | Work on the hull is progressing rapidly. The planking having been completed some days since. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-11-17 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills was in port last Sunday awaiting favorable weather for sailing north. The Mills was light from the south. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-12-15 | 3 | Has gone into winter quarters at this port. She will be overhauled, raised and otherwise improved. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1893-03-09 | 3 | Capt. Tufts has had the upper works of his barge removed and has had the hull taken down nearly to the water line. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-05-11 | 3 | Work on it progressing but it will probably be several weeks yet before it will be ready to go into commission. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-06-29 | 3 | In port briefly. She was bound for Menominee after a cargo of lumber. She carries about 20,000 feet more of green lumber than before. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-06-01 | 3 | Will be ready to sail within a few days. Her boiler and machinery in shape and painting on her upper works are nearing completion. |
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.