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 | Steamer | Wright | 1897-09-23 | 3 | Couldn+t discharge coal at new dock because machinery wasn+t working | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Wright | 1885-06-18 | 3 | In Bailey s Harbor buying fish | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Wright | 1894-12-08 | 5 | Broke down | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Wright | 1895-12-14 | 5 | Impossible to raise | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wright | 1891-09-17 | 3 | Arrived from Michigan with a part cargo of fruit. After disposing of the fruit here, it cleared for the north. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wright | 1891-06-11 | 3 | The sch. Wright arrived in port on Sunday, loaded with lumber for S. Perry. She clears to-day for Menominee with a cargo of produce. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wright | 1891-04-23 | 3 | The schooners Wright, Finch, Thompson and Lady Ellen cleared for the south last Saturday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Wright | 1898-12-02 | 3 | Steamer Desmond sinks in the Algoma harbor. Wrecking tug Wright pumped her out and towed her to Manitowoc for repairs. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Wright | 1896-12-10 | 3 | Brought sch. Austin, was ashore, here. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Wright | 8 | Along with the Manhattan the last boats to pass through the Straits Dec. 28, a record. |
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.