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 | Steamer | Niagara | 1906-03-23 | 1 | Steamer Atlanta, when on fire, was about the same spot where the steamer Niagara burned in September 1856. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Niagara | 1899-12-15 | 1 | The Canadian steamer foundered on Lake Erie, about eight miles east of Long Point. All 16 of crew feared lost. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Niagara | 1889-11-02 | 5 | Brought in raft of logs of 4,500,000 ft. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Niagara | 1899-06-10 | 1 | On beach at Graham s Pt. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Niagara | 1898-02-05 | 1 | One of fleet moored in Chicago | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Niagara | 1910-11-03 | 1 | Coal arrivals at Chicago | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Niagara | 1903-03-07 | 1 | Being repaired at Milwaukee Dry Dock Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Niagara | 1911-10-27 | 8 | In port with a cargo of 1,900 tons of steel rails. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Niagara | 1904-07-01 | 1 | Slocum Disaster recalls similar tragedies of Lakes. Steamer Peonix, Niagara and Goodrich liner Sea Bird mentioned | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Niagara | 1887-09-15 | 3 | The sch. Niagara, a consort of the steamer Raleigh, foundered near Whitefish Point. The Niagara belonged to same tow as the Lucerne |
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.