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 | Barge | Sumatra | 1897-02-13 | 1 | @ Milwaukee - portion of vessel will be dynamited in a few days | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Sumatra | 1897-01-02 | 1 | Lost on the Lakes During 1896 - foundered | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Sumatra | 1896-11-28 | 5 | Foundered off Milwaukee harbor | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Sumatra | 1896-10-03 | 5 | Foundered off harbor in Milw. - four drowned | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steambarge | Sumatra | 1896-10-01 | 2 | Went down in Milwaukee Bay with 4 lives lost and 3 saved. | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Sumatra | 1897-02-27 | 1 | Additional 20 lb. of dynamite exploded in sunken barge | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Sumatra | 1897-08-07 | 1 | In quest of railroad ties from sunken barge | |
| Door County Advocate | Barge | Sumatra | 1896-10-10 | 5 | Wreck lies in Milwaukee bay | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Sumattra | 1929-05-10 | 5 | Formerly Empire City - loads stone | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Summatra | 1887-08-11 | 3 | Laden with iron ore, ran on the Skillagalee shoal on Mon. morning and taken off |
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.