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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Sunbeam | 1902-04-19 | 1 | Heavily ironed off | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Sunbeam | 1902-03-01 | 1 | Extra work needed to be done | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Sunbeam | 1862-11-14 | 3 | Arrived at Port Washington with 600 soldiers | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Sunbeam | 1863-05-08 | 2 | Deckhand pulled overboard while towing propeller Union | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Sunbeam | 1863-09-11 | 1 | Lost in a storm on Lake Superior | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Sunbeam | 1864-03-04 | 1 | Had loss of life in wreck the past season | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Side wheel steamer | Sunbeam | 1881-06-30 | 3 | Tonnage 450, built at Manitowoc in 1861 by Wm. Bates | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Sunbeam | 1894-11-24 | 5 | 1st sidewheel steamer on lake | |
| Door County Advocate | Yacht | Sunbeam | 1895-08-03 | 5 | Missing | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Sunbeam | 1862-06-28 | 3 | Daily between Two Rivers and 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.