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 | Steamer | Rand | 1898-12-30 | 3 | Small steamer in the Lake was probably the Rand, bound for Jacksonport to load wool for Milwaukee. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1881-04-14 | 3 | Information on a new barge being built for the Menominee Barge Line company. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1881-02-24 | 3 | Information on new schooner being built for Ole Johnson, of Chicago. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1881-11-17 | 3 | Tug built for the Marinette Company was launched last evening. It will be towed to Chicago to receive its boiler and machinery. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1874-03-19 | 4 | Ready to launch new vessel for Knapp & Case | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1874-08-13 | 4 | To build schooner for E. B. Simpson & Co. of Milwaukee - info on vessel | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1874-11-26 | 4 | Launched new schooner Russia A. Simpson | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1875-04-22 | 3 | Recently completed schooner Lucia A. Simpson | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1876-04-13 | 3 | Launched the Lottie Cooper | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Shipyard | Rand & Berger | 1878-08-15 | 3 | Sloop for a Chicago brewery soon to be launched |
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.