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 | Carferry | Pere Marquette | 1909-12-30 | 1 | Being equipped with wireless outfits | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Carferry | Pere Marquette | 1909-02-05 | 1 | It took the big carferry Pere Marquette just 55 hours last week to make the trip across the lake during the heavy storm. Normally the trip is made in 12 hours. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Car ferry | Pere Marquette | 1896-11-26 | 4 | Not yet complete. Been inspected by Captain McLead of Buffalo | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Car ferry | Pere Marquette | 1896-12-24 | 4 | Was launched. Information on her. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Pere Marquette | 1897-01-14 | 2 | At Ludington. Slip too narrow by six inches. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Pere Marquette | 1897-02-18 | 3 | Information about it. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ferryboat | Pere Marquette | 1897-02-25 | 4 | Arrived here with 30 cars which she discharged at the North western slip. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Pere Marquette | 1897-04-22 | 4 | Is now in command of Captain Dority who was master of one of the Ann Arbor ferry boats. | ||
| Manitowoc Pilot | Car ferry | Pere Marquette | 1897-06-17 | 3 | Is planning to run to Kewaunee as well as to Manitowoc. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Pere Marquette | 1897-08-19 | 3 | Carried 1000 excursionists out of Milwaukee Monday for a sail on the bay. |
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.