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 | Trial | 1869-03-05 | 1 | Doing lively trade between this port and Milw. this winter | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Trial | 1870-07-28 | 3 | Arrive July 22, Milwaukee, light. Cleared July 22, Milwaukee, wood | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Trial | 1881-06-30 | 3 | Tonnage 36, built at Manitowoc in 1857 by Rand | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Trial | 1876-11-16 | 8 | Cleared Ahnapee Nov. 12, light. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Trial | 1877-04-26 | 8 | Cleared 19th for Milwaukee with 30 cords of wood for Thos. Vose. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Trial | 1875-11-11 | 8 | Came in out of the storm on Saturday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Trial | 1879-11-06 | 4 | From Clay Banks. The schooner Sea Star is loading with ash plank and the schooners Warren and Trial are also loading at the pier. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Trial | 1879-12-11 | 4 | The schooner Trial ran into our harbor this week on her way to Horn's Pier. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Trial | 1877-11-15 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee Nov. 13 from Milwaukee. Cleared Nov. 15 for Clay Banks. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Trial | 1869-02-12 | 1 | To Milwaukee the 5th loaded with wheat and shingles, by O. Torrison |
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.