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 | 1890-05-01 | 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 | 1891-03-26 | 3 | Capt. James Tufts is having his steambarge, Mary Mills, fitted out ready to go into commission. | |
| 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 | 1892-08-25 | 3 | The steam barge Mary Mills spent last Sunday in this port. The Mills was bound north, light. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1891-11-26 | 3 | Captain James Tufts intends to bring his steambarge, Mary Mills, here to winter. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam barge | Mary Mills | 1891-11-12 | 3 | The steam barge has been released from the rocks on Green Island reef. She is owned by Capt. Jas. Tuffts. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-01-07 | 3 | Owned by Capt. Jas. Tufts, of Clay Banks, has placed the Mary Mills in winter quarters at Manitowoc. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-03-10 | 3 | Waukegan Lumber Co. purchased 1/2 interest in the steambarge from Capt. James Tufts for $2,000. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-08-19 | 5 | Arrived with 2,000 barrels of salt | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-11-18 | 5 | Lots of back freight |
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.