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 | Schooner | Belle Hanscon | 1901-06-29 | 1 | To have thorough overhauling | |
| Door County Advocate | Belle Laurie | 1891-01-10 | 5 | 61 X 16 | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1891-04-18 | 5 | First arrival at Baileys Harbor | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1889-07-20 | 3 | Seized by U. S. marshal for claims | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1883-05-17 | 3 | Narrow escape from going to the bottom | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Belle Laurie | 1880-01-15 | 3 | Broke her cable near Two Rivers Point. Went ashore near Ahnapee | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1880-04-22 | 3 | Sailor had left the vessel to throw off a line and before he could reach her again she had left the dock and him in the rear. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1880-04-15 | 4 | Arrived with a large amount of freight. She departed for Foscoro and took on a load of maple wood on owner's account. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1880-06-24 | 3 | The tug S. S. Coe released the schooner Anne Thorine. She is chained to the schooner Belle Laurie and scow Dreadnought to keep afloat. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Belle Laurie | 1880-05-20 | 3 | Dan Henry has recovered the anchor from the schooner Belle Laurie, which was lost in the Sturgeon Bay canal this spring. |
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.