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 | Propeller | Depere | 1881-11-10 | 3 | Taken off the Grand haven line and put on the west shore, between Chicago and Green Bay. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Propeller | Depere | 1882-05-04 | 3 | Kewaunee. Steamer Corona arrived and cleared during the week. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Propeller | DePere | 1890-05-15 | 3 | Landed her Kewaunee passengers here owing to the prevailing heavy weather she was unable to enter that harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Propeller | Depere | 1882-03-09 | 3 | The propeller Depere discharged a large amount of freight for our merchants on the south pier and loaded with flour. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Desdemona | 1909-09-16 | 1 | Badly burned lying at dock | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Desmond | 1910-02-24 | 1 | Purchased by Cream City Sand company | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Desmond | 1907-12-12 | 1 | Struck revetment - sank | |
| Door County Advocate | Sand steamer | Desmond | 1918-01-17 | 1 | Foundered on Lake Michigan with lost of 7 lives | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Desmond | 1918-10-25 | 10 | Wreck to be removed (South Chicago) | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Desmond | 1914-12-31 | 1 | To be sold under the hammer |
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.