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 | Pilgrim | 1 | Acquired by Goodrich Co. Vessel is 209+ x 40+ x 20+ 9+. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Pilgrim | 1 | Goodrich steamer towed back here. Got the propeller afoul and displaced shaft. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Pilgrim | 1 | Purchased by Goodrich from the Chicago, Racine and Milwaukee line. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Pilgrim | 1 | Quickly put into service due to damage to Indiana. | |||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Pilgrim | 5 | Taking over route of steamer Indiana. | |||
| Door County Advocate | Pillsbury | 1892-12-17 | 5 | Whaleback to load grain | ||
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Pilot | 1884-08-14 | 3 | Owned by Spalding Lumber Co. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Pilot | 1906-05-04 | 1 | Sank and man blown to pieces when an acetlyene gas buoy exploded | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Pilot | 1874-04-23 | 3 | Cleared Ahnapee April 22 for Chicago with 1305,000 shingles for Scofield & Co. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Pilot | 1866-08-03 | 1 | Info from Man. Herald Apr 2, 1853 - have cleared with heavy freight |
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.