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 | Canal | Sturgeon Bay | 1875-12-23 | 8 | Negotiations for work to begin next spring on the canal. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Life saving station | Sturgeon Bay | 1898-10-07 | 3 | Captains and crews from Sturgeon Bay and Baileys Harbor went to Grand Haven to get lifeboats for their st4ations. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Drydock | Sturgeon Bay | 1896-06-11 | 3 | The drydock company had its plant transferred to Sturgeon Bay from Sheboygan last Friday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Canal | Sturgeon Bay | 1910-05-13 | 1 | Soundings completed. The maximum draft that can b e carried at the present stage of water is about 18 feet. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Life saving station | Sturgeon Bay | 1891-04-09 | 3 | Opened April 1st. The cdrew, we understand, are now all at their post ready for duty. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Life savers | Sturgeon Bay | 1894-03-29 | 3 | The life saving crew at the Sturgeon Bay and Lake Michigan Ship canal have been ordered to report to that station for duty on April 1. | |
| Door County Advocate | Lighthouse | Sturgeon Bay | 1883-07-19 | 3 | Promised half mile west of Union Ice Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Light house | Sturgeon Bay | 1881-04-14 | 3 | Information on building a light house at the end of the harbor pier at the L. Mich. Entrance of the S. B. canal. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Dry Dock | Sturgeon Bay | 1896-02-20 | 3 | Messrs Rieboldtg & Walters, of Sheboygan have definitly decided to establish a dry dock and ship yard in Sturgeon Bay. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Sturgeon Bay | Sturgeon Bay | 1899-10-20 | 2 | Movement has been started to change the name of Sturgeon Bay to Otumba. |
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.