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 | Tug | Smith | 1909-04-22 | 1 | To go into commission | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Smith | 1898-09-30 | 3 | Capt. Wm. Armstrong of the schooner Smith was buying apples in this vicinity during the present week. He was trying to get a cargo to take north. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Smith | 1926-09-17 | 2 | Sturgeon Bay. Tug Manitowoc brought in two scows which had broke loose. The wood one hit the pier head while entering and sank. The tug Smith raised the wooden scow and towed it to the Smith ship yards. | |
| Door County Advocate | Quarry | Smith | 1904-05-21 | 8 | Thirty natives of Macedonia are to work in quarry | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Smith | 1895-04-27 | 5 | Suit against Arthur Orr to commence | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Smith | 1884-08-21 | 3 | On a shoal + off | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Smith | 1885-08-27 | 3 | Engine became disabled | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Smith | 1886-04-22 | 3 | First trip - to Chicago with lumber | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Smith | 1886-05-27 | 3 | Explanation of why trip took 3 weeks | |
| Door County Advocate | Steambarge | Smith | 1887-10-15 | 3 | Tank placed in bow to be filled when light |
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.