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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Kitty Smoke | 1881-06-02 | 3 | Involved in jam in canal | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1882-02-02 | 3 | Sold at Manitowoc | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1878-04-18 | 8 | Has gone to the rescue of sch. Belle Brown, ashore near Bark river, Mich. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1881-04-21 | 3 | To be stationed at canal | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1882-08-10 | 3 | Dry-dock to stop leak | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Kitty Smoke | 1879-04-17 | 8 | The schooner Ironsides, ashore at Carlton, was pulled off the beach by the tug Kitty Smoke last Monday and towed to Chicago. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Kline | 1925-08-07 | 7 | To unload 1,500 tons of coal at Kalmbach dock | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Kling | 1924-12-12 | 6 | Unable to enter | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Kling | 1 | Launched. Biggest ship ever built at Manitowoc. Named after John A. Kling | |||
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Kling | 1926-08-13 | 6 | Unloaded 1,700 tons of coal at Kalmbach dock |
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.