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 | Blue Belle | 1879-04-17 | 8 | Arrived April 12, Manitowoc. Departed April 14, Chicago, 3,700 ties for for L. J. Conway. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Blue Belle | 1887-09-08 | 3 | Went ashore at Sheboygan. The crew was rescued. She was built in 1867. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Blue Belle | 1880-02-05 | 3 | Is loaded with ice for a Milwaukee brewing company | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Blue Belle | 1880-03-18 | 3 | Left this week and last for southern ports with ice | ||
| 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 | Scow | Blue Belle | 1881-08-25 | 3 | The Blue Belle was damaged about $100 by the tug John Gregory passing through canal too fast, swell pushed it against a vessel. | |
| 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 | |
| Door County Advocate | Yacht | Blue Fin | 1945-08-10 | 1 | Driven ashore in storm |
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.