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 | Thomas Spear | 1880-06-24 | 3 | Returned from Chicago with two ice scows | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-01-08 | 3 | To be built | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-05-06 | 3 | The new tug Thomas Spear was launched at Sturgeon Bay last Thursday. She made a trial trip to Green Bay. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-05-06 | 3 | To tow logs | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-04-01 | 3 | To be stationed at this port | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-09-30 | 3 | Fire totally destroyed the tug while off Carlton. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1882-06-01 | 3 | The Buckeye ran hard aground on Dunlaps reef in Sturgeon Bay. Released by tug Thomas Spear. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Thomas Spears | 1885-09-17 | 3 | Lost two scows and 600,000 feet of lumber belonging to Gregory's mills. It happened in Milwaukee Bay. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Thomas Spears | 1888-06-14 | 3 | Went on the boxes yesterday for repairs | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Thompson | 1901-11-02 | 1 | On boxes for recalking + additional iron aft |
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.