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 | Light house | Algoma | 1915-06-25 | 4 | A crew of men under the supervision of C. O. Butler of the Milwaukee district of the Lighthouse service are making repairs to the government light on the north pier. Many of the old timbers are unsound and these are being replaced. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Harbor | Algoma | 1898-05-20 | 3 | Depth of water in the harbor determined by government engineer. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Harbor | Algoma | 1898-08-12 | 3 | Dredge No. 2 nearly done in this harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Light keeper | Algoma | 1913-02-07 | 1 | Light-keeper Gustavus A. Umberham drowned about six miles south of Algoma, while returning from Kewaunee with a number of friends in a gasoline boat. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Dredge | Algoma | 1913-05-02 | 1 | While the dredge was entering the harbor at Two Rivers, Captain William Vollmer sighted a body floating in the river. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Harbor | Algoma | 1899-03-10 | 3 | $13,000 appropriated for harbor improvement. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Harbor | Algoma | 1899-04-28 | 3 | Soundings were taken of the harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Dredge | Algoma | 1913-09-26 | 8 | Tug Industry brought in the government dredge Algoma, and dump scows. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Harbor | Algoma | 1897-11-12 | 3 | Petitions to Representatives for a better harbor. Information on what is asked for. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Lighthouse | Algoma | 1918-02-08 | 1 | Due to lake and river being frozen so solidly the Lightkeeper E. V. Kimball has been ordered to close the light house and fog signal. This is the first time in 27 years that it will be closed. |
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.