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 | Schooner | Zaddock Pratt | 1860-11-30 | 3 | Hit wreck Mt. Vernon and sunk on L. Erie | |
| Door County Advocate | Consort | Zapotec | 1895-05-11 | 5 | in with coal | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Zapotec | 1897-05-15 | 1 | Coal vessels arrived at Milwaukee | |
| Door County Advocate | Consort | Zapotec | 1894-11-24 | 5 | To Menominee for lumber | |
| Door County Advocate | Consort | Zapotec | 1909-09-02 | 1 | 1,100,000 ft. of lumber | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Zapotic | 1895-05-16 | 3 | Arrived, Buffalo, coal; Departed Buffalo, light. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Zapotic | 1895-06-06 | 3 | Brought in coal from Conneaut for the Manitowoc Coal & Dock Co. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Mill | Zastrow & Sanderman | 1893-03-30 | 3 | Timber for Johnson's new vessel being gotten out at Clay Banks at Zastrow & Sanderman's mill in that town. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Yacht | Zaza | 3 | Finished first in 12 mile yacht race in Green Bay. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Zealand | 1880-11-18 | 1 | Foundered on Lake Ontario with 16 or 18 aboard |
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.