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 | Steam barge | Mary Mills | 1891-10-22 | 3 | Some uneasiness felt for its safety. Information received that it had run into Milwaukee harbor and left all right. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1890-04-10 | 3 | Schooner J. W. Wright was the first arrival of the season. Barge Mary Mills was the first to clear and will take in tow the schooner Clara. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1890-04-17 | 3 | The barge Mary Mills loaded hemlock and cedar ties for Sam'l Perry and left for Chicago on Wednesday morning. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1890-03-27 | 3 | With favorable weather, the barge will be ready for sea by Sunday and will take her first cargo of ties for Sam'l Perry, to Chicago. | |
| 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 | 1893-08-24 | 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 | 1893-07-13 | 3 | Thomas Swaty, engineer on the Mary Mills, has found it necessary to lay off awhile due to a severe attack of rheumatism. | |
| 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 | 1893-06-29 | 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 | 1894-03-15 | 3 | Thomas Swaty, who was one of the engineers on the barge last year, will not go on that steamer this season. |
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.