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 | Sea Bird | 1892-07-16 | 5 | Horror of 24 yrs. ago recalled | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Liner | Sea Bird | 1904-07-01 | 1 | Slocum Disaster recalls similar tragedies of Lakes. Steamer Peonix, Niagara and Goodrich liner Sea Bird mentioned | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Sea Bird | 1911-07-21 | 6 | Second only to the Sea Bird disaster, was the sinking of the propeller Hippocampus, bound from Benton Harbor to Chicago, Sept. 10, 1868. Seventeen of the 41 people on board were picked up. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Sea Bird | 1909-03-11 | 1 | Reminiscent - burned 1848 | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Sea Bird | 1875-11-11 | 8 | Capt. John McDonald, brought a cargo of wet wheat from the wreck of the Sea bird, at Horn's Pier, on Friday. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Sea Bird | 1875-11-04 | 8 | The Sea Bird, wheat laden, on the beach at Horn's Pier, has been abandoned. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Sea Bird | 1875-12-02 | 8 | The hull of the schooner Sea Bird, which went on the beach near Horn's Pier, during the recent storm, will be burned to get out the iron. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Sea Bird | 1881-06-30 | 3 | Shipments from this port. 4500 ties, Chicago. | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | Sea Bird | 1882-10-12 | 3 | Lost anchor at Stony Creek pier | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Sea Bird | 1893-01-14 | 5 | Reminiscent of 1867 accident |
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.