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 | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1889-06-13 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch arrived from Milwaukee, light, and loaded with posts for H. Gericke to Racine. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Wm. Finch | 1889-07-25 | 3 | The Wm. Finch loaded at Clay Banks on Saturday, with lumber for Henry Geier, to Milwaukee. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-10-20 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch has had a new fore topmast made, to replace the one broken by a collision. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-09-22 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch loaded with a cargo of wood left this port for the south on Monday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-07-21 | 3 | Joseph Muench has accepted the position of steward on the scow Wm. Finch. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Wm. Finch | 1887-08-18 | 3 | The Henry Cowels, Supply, Tempest, Laura Maggie Johnson, and Wm. Finch loaded cargoes at this port one day this week. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1889-12-05 | 3 | Arrived from Chicago, making the run in exactly 24 hours. She will by stripped and go into winter quarters here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1889-10-31 | 3 | Scow Wm. Finch arrived on Wednesday at noon, with a small load of back freight for Tifft & Hay. She will load with cedar posts. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1884-11-20 | 3 | The schooner Wm. Finch, of Chicago, came into the harbor yesterday and will go into winter quarters here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-04-14 | 3 | While docked, a waterlogged scow broke loose and stove a hole in her. She sank rapidly. Raised and repaired for $30. |
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.