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 | Forest | 1886-09-30 | 3 | Ghost story as told by a sailor on board. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Forest | 1879-09-25 | 4 | The schooner Vermont and scow Forest loaded at Clay Banks last Tuesday. The former with ties and the latter with wood. | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | Forest | 1881-05-19 | 3 | Docked for repairs from being run into | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | Forest | 1882-08-24 | 3 | Ashore at Newport - trying to release | |
| Door County Advocate | Scow | Forest | 1881-12-15 | 3 | Report on condition ashore | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Forest | 1881-05-12 | 3 | Struck by unknown propeller about 15 miles off Kenosha. She ran into Racine harbor. Damage given. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Forest | 1881-06-23 | 3 | The scow Forest, with 5000 ties for Racine, and the sch. Felicitous, with 5500 ties for Chicago, sailed from this port since our last. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Forest | 1881-05-05 | 3 | Shipments from this port. 5000 ties for Sam Perry. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scows | Forest | 1881-11-17 | 3 | The scows R. H. Becker and Forest were lying at the bridge pier at Rowley's Bay. The pier gave way and both vessels went ashore. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Forest | 1880-04-29 | 3 | E. Decker & Co. loaded the schooner Forest with 7,000 posts this week. She departed Wednesday. |
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.