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 | 1894-03-15 | 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 | 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 | 1894-02-22 | 3 | Kewaunee. In winter quarters here. Will receive a new spar and planking at the bows. | |
| 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 | 1893-09-21 | 3 | Her deck load of shingles was piled 14 courses high above the rail. The smoke stack was but a foot above the load. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-09-14 | 3 | One of vessels in this harbor within the past few days. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-08-24 | 3 | Bound for Menominee with a part cargo of merchandise, and will take on a cargo of lumber at that place for the south. | |
| 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 | 1893-06-01 | 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. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-07-13 | 3 | Thomas Swaty, engineer on the Mary Mills, has found it necessary to lay off awhile due to a severe attack of rheumatism. |
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.