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 | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 17 | 1911-12-15 | 1 | The Pere Marquette Carferry No. 20 went aground on Rocky Reef near Milwaukee. The cars were transferred to the No. 17. The tugs Meyer and Welcome at this point were unable to release her. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 17 | 1910-09-23 | 1 | Engineer on steamer Pere Marquette No. 17 resigns. His brother was on the Pere Marquette No. 18 when it went down. | |
| Door County Advocate | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 17 | 1923-05-18 | 6 | Collided with Pere Marquette No. 4 in L. Mich. | |
| Door County Advocate | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1910-09-15 | 1 | Foundered - 29 lives lost | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1917-01-05 | 1 | As the carferry passed through the piers at Ludington, Capt. John Ackerman dropped over dead in the pilot house from an attack of heart failure. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1912-02-23 | 1 | Arrived in Kewaunee. Captain reported that there was an ice flow over fifty miles in length and of most formidable height. Three Ann Arbor ferries ar said to be fast in the ice near Manistique. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Carferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1910-09-23 | 1 | To build a new boat to replace the No. 18 which sunk in Lake Michigan recently. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Car ferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1911-02-03 | 1 | The new car ferry of the Pere Marquette railroad loft Milwaukee on its maiden trip. Information on her. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Car ferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1910-12-30 | 1 | New Pere Marquette boat to replace the No. 18 is launched at South Chicago. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Car ferry | Pere Marquette No. 18 | 1 | New carferry into port from Ludington with 34 freight cars. |
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.