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 | 1893-10-05 | 3 | In light and remained in this harbor through Saturday's severe storm. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-09-07 | 3 | Into this harbor last week disabled with a broken shaft. The cargo of merchandise was transferred to the schooner Lady Ellen. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-10-26 | 3 | Was in port Tuesday. The Mills was bound south with a cargo of lumber, and cleared for Chicago on the day names. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-12-07 | 3 | Was fast in the ice near the Door several days of last week but was reported to have reached Egg Harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1894-03-15 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills was towed to Manitowoc by the tug John Leathem to receive a new boiler. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1894-03-15 | 3 | Repair work progressing satisfactorily to the owners. A new spar, placed in the Mills last week, is one of the improvements. | |
| 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 | 1894-08-02 | 3 | Capt. James Tufts sold his 1/2 interest in the steambarge to the Waukegan Lumber Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1893-04-20 | 3 | The rail and upper works yet remain to be put on. Her model having been considerably changed in rebuilding. | |
| 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. |
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.