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 | William Aldrich | 1900-08-04 | 1 | Fully repaired after collision | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1881-05-26 | 3 | Through canal | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1914-11-20 | 2 | Attempted to make port during a storm when wind died causing it to drop anchor near the harbor. She appeared to be dragging but found her moorings before dark. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1914-11-20 | 5 | The schooner William Aldrich was abandoned by her crew off Kewaunee. The fish tug Herman refused to go to the schooner. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1899-06-17 | 1 | Fetched up on Nine-Foot shoal | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1901-12-28 | 1 | Wintering at Milwaukee | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1916-07-14 | 2 | Kewaunee. Weathered in port. She was bound south with a cargo of wood. Captain Alex Dow sold the Augustus to Captain George Cota who was owner and master of the schooner William Aldrich which was lost three weeks ago. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | William Aldrich | 1914-11-27 | 2 | The schooner William Aldrich which was abandoned by her crew off this port and brought into port Thursday by the fish tug Herman in a crippled condition. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | William Arbuckle | 1868-12-31 | 4 | Marine disasters 1868 - Got caught under a pier at Wolf River; damage $1,500 | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | William B. Castle | 1906-08-02 | 1 | Sank last week - a menace to navigation |
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.