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 | Barge | Mary Mills | 1890-04-10 | 3 | Schooner J. W. Wright was the first arrival of the season. Barge Mary Mills was the first to clear and will take in tow the schooner Clara. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1890-05-01 | 3 | Called at this port for a short time on Tuesday morning, while on her way to Sturgeon Bay, with freight for parties in that city. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1891-04-16 | 3 | To Manitowoc to have the decks calked and some other necessary work done, preparatory to going into commission. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam barge | Mary Mills | 1891-04-30 | 3 | Large amounts of hay to be shipped at Clay Banks by Chris. Braunsdorf and Capt. James Tufts on Mary Mills. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1890-05-29 | 3 | Stopped at this port Tuesday night bound south with a cargo of hemlock ties from Arthur Bay to Chicago, for W. H. Horn & Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1891-01-01 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills has gone into winter quarters in this harbor. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam barge | Mary Mills | 1889-03-14 | 3 | The steam barge Mary Mills, the schooners Industry and Clara, and the scow Wm. Finch are undergoing repairs. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1889-04-11 | 3 | The work of rebuilding the barge is steadily progressing and is expected to go into commission in about two weeks. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1889-04-25 | 3 | The work on the barge Mary Mills and the schooner Clara is now about completed. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1889-05-09 | 3 | Negotiations between James Tuffts of Clay Banks and Henry Foeste of Sheboygan for an exchange of 1/2 int. in vessel and mill in this city |
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.