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 | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1914-09-17 | 1 | Docked for searching | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1915-04-15 | 1 | Schedule announced | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1915-01-28 | 1 | Apt. given | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1916-04-20 | 1 | In commission | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1916-03-09 | 1 | Appointments given | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1906-02-16 | 1 | Last trip - record of 318 continuous days of navigation on Lake Superior | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1906-04-13 | 1 | Opens navigation at head of Lake Superior | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Bon Ami | 1910-07-08 | 3 | Hart steamer did not show for an excursion. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Bon Ami | 1909-08-27 | 1 | Excursion to be given from this port to Menominee in order to give local baseball fans an opportunity to witness the game between the Menominee and Algoma ball teams. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Bon Ami | 7 | To be taken off the run due to new law requiring extra crew. |
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.