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 | Schooner | Chapman | 1879-06-19 | 5 | From Clay Banks. The scow Gladiator laden with lumber, and the schooner Chapman with posts, cleared this port last week. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chapman | 1877-08-30 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee Aug 27 from Milwaukee. Cleared 29th for Milwaukee with 60 cords of wood on account of vessel. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chapman | 1881-09-29 | 3 | The schooner Chapman run in here for shelter and cleared light for Clay Banks. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chapman | 1876-04-27 | 8 | Cleared this port on Saturday with wood for Mr. Carney. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chapman | 1876-05-18 | 8 | With 1000 bushels of wheat for Conway Bros., and cedar posts for G. W. Youngs & Co., cleared for Milwaukee on Tuesday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chapman | 1880-06-17 | 3 | Chapman, with 35 cords wood and 2,000 posts and El Tempo 7,000 posts for F. Swaty & Son. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Chapman | 1915-06-24 | 3 | Loaded at Horn s pier | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Chapman | 1886-12-30 | 3 | On reef at Bailey s Harbor - lost deckload | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Chapman | 1884-10-23 | 3 | Sailor fell overboard off Two Rivers and drowned | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chapman | 1877-07-12 | 8 | The Captain was poling the vessel out of the harbor when the pole slipped and he went cranium first into the dampness of the river. |
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.