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 | Hooker | Belle | 1911-09-22 | 6 | The little gasoline hooker Belle, Captain Chris Braunsdorf of Clay Banks, arrived in port Wednesday morning. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle | 1904-10-21 | 5 | The schooners Belle of Epoufette, Mystery and Alert loaded hay here this week for delivery at Frankfort. | |
| 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 | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1877-04-05 | 8 | Arrived Ahnapee April 2 from Chicago; Cleared April 3 for Chicago with 6,500 ties for Sam'l Perry. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1875-04-29 | 8 | When off this port Peter Christianson, a sailor standing on the cabin deck was struck by the main sheet, knocked overboard and drowned. | |
| 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. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1902-09-13 | 1 | In for shelter | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1910-10-27 | 1 | In port - brought up in the mud | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1912-09-05 | 1 | Wind bound |
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.