Newspaper Search

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 Freighter S. B. Way 1925-09-18 11 Aground off Fox point released
Door County Advocate Steamer S. B. Way 1927-04-08 1 Article - equipped with Smith self-unloader
Ahnapee (Algoma) Record Steamer S. B. Way 1927-01-07 2 Sturgeon Bay. Smith lands for over 1,000,000 tons of stone. Vessels Bay State, S. B. Way, Fontana and John McCartney Kennedy will transport the stone to Lake Michigan ports and to Detroit.
Door County Advocate Schooner S. Bates 1881-09-08 3 Filed libel against tug John Gregory
Door County Advocate Schooner S. Bates 1874-11-26 3 To Chicago with lumber
Door County Advocate Schooner S. Bates 1873-05-15 3 To Chicago lumber market
Ahnapee (Algoma) Record Schooner S. Bates 1881-08-04 3 The schooner S. Bates collided with a barge in tow of the tug John Gregory. The schooner was towed into Chicago by tug Thomas Hood.
Door County Advocate Schooner S. Bates 1881-08-04 3 Collided
Door County Advocate Schooner S. Bates 1879-07-10 3 Sprung a leak
Manitowoc Pilot Schooner S. Bates 1879-07-10 3 Damaged leaving Horn+s Pier. Made Manitowoc and sunk in River

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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.

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