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 | Belle | 1898-12-30 | 3 | Nearly went to pieces at her moorings. Was moved farther up the river. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle | 1907-08-01 | 1 | Brought in elevated walk material | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle | 1881-11-03 | 3 | The sch. J. A. Travis and Belle sought shelter in our harbor Mon., and the scow South Side rode out the gale at anchor in the bay outside. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1894-08-09 | 3 | Capt. C. L. Fellows calls attention to error in last week's paper. The Belle Brown was built in Chicago, not here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Belle Brown | 1876-04-13 | 8 | With fish from St. Martins Island, touched at this port on Monday and filled out her cargo with ties for Perry. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1875-04-29 | 8 | Bound up from St. Martin's Island, with 1,800 packages of fish, touched at the pier and took in 1,500,000 shingles for Scofield & Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1876-03-30 | 8 | Cleared Tuesday for Chicago with ties for F. Paarman. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1909-09-16 | 1 | Passed thru | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1915-09-16 | 1 | Water-logged and most sails torn to shreds | |
| Door County Advocate | Sail vessel | Belle Brown | 1898-02-05 | 1 | One of fleet moored in Chicago |
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.