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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc Pilot | Coaler | Murphy | 1896-01-09 | 3 | Captain procured a search warrant, suspecting cook stole the silver spoons. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Murphy | 1897-04-15 | 3 | Left this port, where she wintered, yesteday. She went to Chicago for a cargo down the lakes. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Murphy | 1895-10-19 | 5 | Barge Active ran into it | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Murphy | 1896-12-10 | 3 | Large coaler arrived here with a cargo of coal on Sunday last. She will winter here. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Murphy | 1897-12-16 | 3 | One of boats below Eighth street and west of the Northwestern slip | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Music | 1899-09-02 | 1 | Booked for excursion | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Music | 1899-10-07 | 1 | Destroyed by fire | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Music | 1893-10-19 | 3 | Stranded on east shore in fog. Had to throw much of cargo overboard. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Music | 1899-07-22 | 1 | Property transferred at Grand Haven | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Music | 1899-09-16 | 1 | Being worked on |
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.