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 | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1894-03-15 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills was towed to Manitowoc by the tug John Leathem to receive a new boiler. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1893-04-20 | 3 | The rail and upper works yet remain to be put on. Her model having been considerably changed in rebuilding. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-03-30 | 3 | Work on the hull is progressing rapidly. The planking having been completed some days since. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-11-10 | 3 | The steambarge Mary Mills arrived here light from the south last Tuesday. The Mills was bound north after lumber freight. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-12-15 | 3 | Has gone into winter quarters at this port. She will be overhauled, raised and otherwise improved. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-02-02 | 3 | There are seven men at work on the craft. She will be so greatly improved in outward appearance that the "old salts" will not recognize her. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Barge | Mary Mills | 1893-03-09 | 3 | Capt. Tufts has had the upper works of his barge removed and has had the hull taken down nearly to the water line. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-06-01 | 3 | Will be ready to sail within a few days. Her boiler and machinery in shape and painting on her upper works are nearing completion. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1893-06-29 | 3 | In port briefly. She was bound for Menominee after a cargo of lumber. She carries about 20,000 feet more of green lumber than before. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steambarge | Mary Mills | 1892-10-13 | 3 | Was in port a few hours. The Mills was south bound with lumber from Menominee, and cleared Saturday night. |
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.