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 | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1906-12-13 | 1 | Into canal for shelter | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1899-11-25 | 1 | Collided with bridge at Chicago | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1912-12-13 | 1 | Fishermen of Two Rivers found fragments of evergreen entangled in their nets and the life saver. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1913-08-01 | 1 | Bottle with message in it supposed to be from the Rouse Simmons. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1912-05-17 | 3 | The schooners Mary E. Cook, Sosa Belle, J. H. Stevens, Rouse Simmons and one other were sheltered in the harbor during Wednesday's blow. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1906-09-27 | 1 | Ran into breakwater | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1899-06-24 | 1 | Towed into bay | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steamer (schooner) | Rouse Simmons | 1912-12-06 | 1 | Is two weeks overdue and believed to have foundered on Lake Michigan. Was last sighted over a week ago at Pentwater with distress signals flying. Revenue cutter Tuscarora left to assist in search. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1912-12-27 | 7 | Big article on the Rouse Simmons. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Rouse Simmons | 1914-12-04 | 3 | Kewaunee. Schooner J. V. Taylor, Captain John Leonard, in port to dodge disagreeable weather. He was captain of the schooner Rouse Simmons the year before it went down. |
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.