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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1882-04-27 | 3 | Mate lost overboard off Kewaunee during storm last Saturday | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1909-09-16 | 1 | Passed thru | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Brown | 1915-09-16 | 1 | Water-logged and most sails torn to shreds | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Belle Chase | 1870-05-12 | 4 | Will be at Fish Creek | |
| Door County Advocate | Hooker | Belle Culbert | 1915-10-14 | 1 | In trouble from storm and broken crankshaft | |
| Door County Advocate | Aux. schooner | Belle Culbert | 1916-10-19 | 1 | In trouble - engine | |
| Door County Advocate | Belle Culbert | 1917-05-17 | 1 | Waterlogged and sunk at her dock in G. B. | ||
| Door County Advocate | Gas freighter | Belle Culbert | 1918-04-25 | 1 | Arrived from Egg Harbor | |
| Door County Advocate | Gas freighter | Belle Culbert | 1920-12-24 | 4 | To be rebuilt this winter | |
| Door County Advocate | Freighter | Belle Culbert | 1921-11-11 | 7 | Capt. and owner given |
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.