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 Brown | 1884-04-24 | 3 | During the gale, the scow I. M. Hill and the schooner Belle Brown were driven high and dry on the beach at Milwaukee. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1879-04-10 | 8 | Made the quickest trip from here to Chicago and back, on record. Left here 8:00 Sun. morning and arrived back 4:00 last night. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1879-04-10 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee April 9 from Chicago. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1879-04-24 | 8 | A dispatch from Ahnapee says that the schooner Belle Brown, has arrived there in a badly used up state,--Green Bay Gazette. False | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1911-05-12 | 1 | One of 5 schooners purchased by the Estabrook-Skeele Lumber Company of Chicago. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1883-04-26 | 3 | Sturgeon Bay to Chicago with posts | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1910-10-27 | 1 | In port - brought up in the mud | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1910-05-12 | 1 | Thru the bay under sail | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1912-09-05 | 1 | Wind bound | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1912-11-28 | 1 | On bottom when water receded |
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.