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 | Blue Belle | 1869-12-23 | 4 | Stripped and abandened | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Blue Belle | 1869-12-09 | 4 | Ashore on North reef @ Bailey s harbor | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | Blue Belle | 1878-11-07 | 3 | In with 40,000 brick for new court house | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Blue Belle | 1875-10-28 | 3 | Loaded lumber at Cooper & Jones mill | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Scow | Blue Belle | 1880-02-26 | 3 | Loaded with ice and fitting out, preparatory to sailing for Chicago | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Blue Belle | 1887-12-17 | 3 | Marine disaster report on it for 1886 | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Blue Belle | 1879-04-17 | 8 | Captain of the Blue Belle reported a sailor had been lost off the Evening Star. It actually was off the Glad Tidings. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Blue Belle | 1879-05-29 | 10 | Arrived May 23, Chicago. Departed May 25, Chicago, 3,800 ties for F. Swaty & Son. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Blue Belle | 1879-05-15 | 8 | Arrived May 4, Chicago. Departed May 7, Chicago, 300 M. shingles for F. Van Nostrand. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Blue Belle | 1870-06-09 | 3 | Hauled off reef + towed to Manitowoc |
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.