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 | Steamer | Oconto | 1886-07-08 | 3 | Went down in the St. Lawrence river on Tues. night. All passengers saved. Str. a total loss | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Oconto | 1 | Part of maritime history in Manitowoc by Timothy Kelly Sr. (of Goodrich Fleet) | |||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Propeller | Oconto | 1877-04-12 | 8 | The propellers Menominee, Captain F. W. Spafford, and Oconto, Captain John Gehen, will compose the Goodrich Green Bay Line the coming season. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Oconto | 1885-12-10 | 3 | 505 tons. built by G. S. Rand in 1872 | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Oconto | 1892-07-07 | 3 | Old tug has been dismantled and will be allowed to rot. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lighthouse | Oconto | 3 | New lighthouse is nearly ready. Is 25+ high and built of steel. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Octavia | 1875-01-07 | 3 | 1874 marine disasters - ashore and total loss at Kewaunee; cargo $200, hull, $2,500 | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Octavia | 1874-05-14 | 3 | While at north pier at Kewaunee drifted upon the rocks north of the pier. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Octavia | 1874-05-21 | 3 | The scow Grant & Wilson has been engaged in getting the cargo out of the Octavia, at Kewaunee. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Octavia | 1874-05-21 | 3 | Aground near Kewaunee |
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.