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 | Yacht | Merry Widow | 1913-08-01 | 1 | Bound for Milwaukee and a southeaster forced them in here. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Mertin | 1909-04-22 | 1 | Rebuilt | |
| Door County Advocate | Ore carrier | Mesaba | 1900-11-17 | 1 | Badly battered | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Mesaba | 1905-09-09 | 1 | Pulled steamer Wm. R. Linn off | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Mesaba | 1916-09-14 | 6 | Aground on Victory island in L. Superior - released | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Mesaba | 1901-12-28 | 1 | Wintering at Milwaukee | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Messenger | 1884-06-19 | 3 | On new steamboat line between Chicago and Manintique | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Propeller | Messenger | 1912-04-05 | 3 | One of the vessels mentioned in a big article written by an old steamboat man of forty odd years and given in the Chicago Magazine. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Messenger | 1880-09-02 | 3 | Schooner Hetty Taylor capsized about 5 miles off the port of Sheboygan. Tug Messenger found it in 14 fathoms of water. | |
| Door County Advocate | Fishing tug | Messenger | 1901-04-13 | 1 | First arrival of 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.