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 | Belle Brown | 1879-04-10 | 8 | The Belle Brown has received a new fore-mast, fore-top-mast, gib-boom and a new square sail. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1879-04-10 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee April 5 from Chicago. Departed April 6 for Chicago with 6,700 ties for Sam Perry. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1894-08-02 | 3 | Built here years ago. She came to anchor off this port Friday. She was bark laden for the south. | |
| 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 | 1875-09-16 | 8 | Lost her deck-load of lumber. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1877-04-12 | 8 | Arrived Ahnapee April 9 from Chicago. Cleared 10th for Chicago with 6,840 ties for Samuel Perry. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1876-03-30 | 8 | Cleared Tuesday for Chicago with ties for F. Paarman. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1877-04-26 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee April 22 from Chicago: Cleared 23 for Chicago with 7,000 ties for A. Froemming. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1909-12-02 | 1 | Lost deck load during storm | |
| Door County Advocate | Belle Brown | 1884-04-24 | 3 | Loaded + cleared from Jacksonport |
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.