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 | Car ferry | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1893-10-12 | 3 | Foremost car struck the bow so hard that a car just leaving the apron jumped the track taking the apron down with it. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1895-01-17 | 3 | Ann Arbors No. 1 and 2 abandoned the line between Menominee and Frankfort owing to the difficulty of ice on Green Bay. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1894-11-22 | 3 | The scow Emily Taylor was damaged by the Ann Arbor No. 2 while it was laying at the salt warehouse dock. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Car ferry | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1911-03-03 | 1 | New car ferry No. 5 is meeting all the requirements of the company. This gives the company four steel boats and as the No. 2, a wooden boat, is becoming aged. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Carferry | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1912-05-10 | 7 | Taken out of ordinary and placed upon the Kewaunee and Frankfort run. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Ferry | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1910-08-12 | 1 | Detained 24 hours due to a strike by the firemen. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1893-01-05 | 3 | Into dry dock at Port Huron. Sheathing torn forcing way though ice. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1893-01-19 | 3 | Discussion of ferry line in general about the Ann Arbor boats | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1893-05-18 | 4 | Now makes on the average three trips every two days across the lake. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ferry steamer | Ann Arbor No. 2 | 1894-02-15 | 4 | Docked at Milw. for repairs. Had a wheel broken + her shaft bent in striking a log. |
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.