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 | Steamer | William B. Ken | 1907-05-09 | 1 | 605 - cargo will take 400 freight cars to haul away | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | William B. Kerr | 1908-05-14 | 1 | Broke records for bulk carrying | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | William B. Kerr | 1909-12-30 | 1 | Hold record of cargo of ore season closed 12,006 tons | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | William B. Pelkey | 1929-11-08 | 8 | Grounded on Gravel Island and released | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Dock | William Barret | 1906-09-28 | 1 | Building new dock on the East shore of Green Bay in the NW part of that town, in Kewaunee County. The other dock was destroyed by the severe storm. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | William C. Moreland | 1911-07-27 | 1 | Storm destroyed work being done to raise | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | William C. Morland | 1910-10-27 | 1 | Ashore on outer reef of Eagle river in L. Superior | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | William C. Wolf | 3 | 600 ft. cargo ship of D. c. Sullivan fleet in floating dock. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Captain | William Callaway | 1917-02-23 | 1 | Captain William Callaway died at age of 86. Due to the great fire in 1871 in Door and Kewaunee counties, the revenue cutter Andy Johnson and the three masted schooner Toledo, Captain Callaway, carried in supplies to those communities all winter. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | William Case | 1915-11-04 | 2 | 40 yrs. ago ashore at Plum Island |
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.