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 | Steamer | Iowa | 1910-05-20 | 7 | She went into commission yesterday and was put back on her old run between Milwaukee and Chicago. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1912-03-15 | 1 | Steamers Iowa and City of Racine, which were ice-bound for 5 days, were released. A total of 1,500 pounds of dynamite was used to release the Racine. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1912-01-19 | 1 | Steamer Indiana was icebound several miles out of Chicago harbor for three days. She is safe in port in Chicago. Steamers Iowa and Georgia, which went to aid the Indiana had also become ice bound. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1900-11-30 | 1 | A heavy fog hung over this place last Sunday morning and the Goodrich steamer Iowa experienced quite a little trouble in finding her way into the harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1901-04-19 | 1 | The Goodrich steamer Sheboygan is now running on this route in place of the steamers Iowa and Atlanta. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1900-01-26 | 1 | Called at this port and landed a large quantity of freight. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1899-12-22 | 1 | The steamer Iowa took 500 bags of grain and 400 bags of peas from this port on Saturday on the way south. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Iowa | 1901-12-20 | 1 | Goodrich company gives their winter schedule for the steamer Iowa, Atlanta and City of Racine. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Propeller | Iowa | 1864-07-01 | 1 | Caught fire while lying along side the pier | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Barge | Iowa | 1869-12-23 | 1 | Some person set fire to it, on rocks south of Kewaunee |
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.