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 | 1894-02-22 | 3 | Kewaunee. In winter quarters here. Will receive a new spar and planking at the bows. | |
| 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 | 1893-05-11 | 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 | 1893-05-25 | 3 | Capt. Jas. Tufts was working on his vessel when a staging gave way, precipitating him into the water. A witness helped him to shore. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-12-08 | 3 | Went out and lightened the then stranded steamer Ann Arbor No.1, by taking the apples and part of the coal from that steamer. | |
| 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 | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-02-02 | 3 | There are seven men at work on the craft. She will be so greatly improved in outward appearance that the "old salts" will not recognize her. | |
| 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 | Barge | Mary Mills | 1893-03-30 | 3 | Tom Swaty engaged as one of the engineers on the barge. James Oakley is also an engineer. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam barge | Mary Mills | 1892-08-25 | 3 | The steam barge Mary Mills spent last Sunday in this port. The Mills was bound north, light. |
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.