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 | Stafford | 1898-12-10 | 1 | Into winter quarters at Chicago | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Stafford | 1905-10-21 | 1 | Main boom broke off entering harbor at Kewaunee | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Stafford | 1912-07-18 | 1 | Took load of cedar posts to Canadian port | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Stafford | 1913-10-03 | 4 | A brisk head wind brought the Cook and Stafford in and the James Hall brought a load of salt. The gasoline boat Wanderer of Marinette was in with a load of Michigan fruit. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Stafford | 1916-10-20 | 1 | The schooner Stafford sprung a leak and was sending out signals of distress about four miles northeast of Kewaunee. The 'Coast Guard went out to help and put back to Kewaunee and got the tug Industry to tow her in. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Stafford | 1916-12-22 | 2 | Kewaunee. Coast Guard Station receives orders to close station on Dec. 25th. Some vessels it helped this year are the Carolina, schooner Hall and the schooner Stafford. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Stafford | 1897-12-04 | 1 | Left Glen Haven with cargo of potatoes | |
| Door County Advocate | Stafford | 1898-11-26 | 1 | Lumber-lugger towed by tug Morford | ||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Stafford | 1911-08-17 | 1 | Struck unchartered rock shoal | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Stafford | 1911-11-30 | 1 | Sought shelter in canal |
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.