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 | Schooner | Selkirk | 1877-05-03 | 8 | Arrived at Green Bay from St. Joseph on the 24th. The first of the season. | |
| Door County Advocate | Dock | Sellicks | 1866-03-08 | 3 | New dock to replace sunken dock | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Selma | 1875-04-15 | 3 | Cleared April 12th, Racine, light | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Selma | 1876-03-30 | 8 | Capt. Mitt Edwards, took refuge in this port on Friday last, and is yet awaiting favorable weather to enable her to depart. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Selma | 1877-01-04 | 8 | Sunk April 1876. Ran on her anchor at Bailey's Harbor and sunk; $400. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Selma | 1876-01-06 | 8 | From Manitowoc, took refuge in our harbor during the recent storm. She cleared Monday for Fellows' Pier, for a cargo of wood. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Selma | 1876-01-06 | 8 | Conquest broke from her moorings in the river and floated down stream and came in contact with scow Selma. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Selma | 1879-04-24 | 8 | Arrived April 20, Chicago. Departed April 21, Chicago, 3,000 ties for L. J. Conway. | |
| Door County Advocate | Selma | 1875-12-23 | 3 | Loaded wood at Bailey s Harbor | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Scow | Selma | 1879-04-10 | 3 | Launched, received a new bow and other repairs |
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.