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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Onoko | 1914-09-17 | 1 | Repairs completed | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Onoko | 1915-09-16 | 1 | Sank off Knife Island | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Onoko | 1882-05-18 | 3 | Left Chicago with 100,000 bu. of corn - a record | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Onoko | 1882-05-25 | 3 | Passed lime kiln with 100,000 bu. corn and drawing 15+ of water, with safety | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Onoko | 1882-09-21 | 3 | Loaded 100,400 bu. of wheat at Chicago. Largest ever to ship on the lakes | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Onoko | 5 | Tonnage of vessel 2164, lying up for the winter in the Manitowoc River. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Onoko | 1910-12-08 | 1 | Stranded on Southeast shoal | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Onoko | 1907-05-30 | 1 | Lost her rudder | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Onoko | 1916-01-27 | 2 | Foundered off Knife Island | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Onoko | 1882-05-11 | 3 | Reached Chicago with 2,600 tons of coal, the largest of that material ever carried on lakes |
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.