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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Van Valkenburg | 1882-05-11 | 3 | The schooners Van Valkenburg and Jessie Winters are ashore at Sheboygan. They missed the pier and ran onto the beach. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Van Valkenburg | 1884-11-06 | 3 | Has not been lost after all. She passed the rivers lately | |
| Door County Advocate | Van Valkenburg | 1881-10-13 | 3 | Most of anchors and chains recovered | ||
| Door County Advocate | Van Valkenburg | 1881-10-06 | 3 | Our people have gathered up immense quantities of corn from wreck | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Van Valkenburg | 1882-05-18 | 3 | The schooner Van Valkenburg, on the beach at Sheboygan, was released by the tug Kitty Smoke. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Van Valkenburg | 1884-11-06 | 3 | Vessel found sunk in lake not Van Valkenburg. Still feared lost | ||
| Door County Advocate | Van Valkenburg | 1880-07-15 | 3 | Taking cargo of ice for Maginnis & Boyle | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Van Valkenburg | 1923-10-12 | 9 | Ashore at Whitefish Bay Oct. 16, 1880 | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Lumber | Van Valkenburgh | 1863-08-21 | 1 | Info on lumber mill | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Van Valkenburgh | 1881-11-17 | 3 | Body of Captain Keith, who drowned when the schooner wrecked, was found on the beach last Sunday. |
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.