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 | Fishing tug | Sunbeam | 1912-02-15 | 1 | Sprung a leak while bucking ice | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Sunbeam | 1902-02-22 | 1 | Repair work discussed | |
| Door County Advocate | Fishing tug | Sunbeam | 1913-02-20 | 1 | Found drifting and helpless in lake | |
| Door County Advocate | Fishing tug | Sunbeam | 1910-11-17 | 1 | Docked to be put into condition for winter service | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Sunbeam of Nahma | 1901-11-30 | 1 | To be rebuilt | |
| Door County Advocate | Gas. launch | Sunflower | 1910-08-25 | 1 | Lost her wheel | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Sunflower | 1910-08-18 | 1 | Transferring passengers across stream | |
| Door County Advocate | Motor boat | Sunflower | 1912-02-29 | 1 | Sold | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Sunnyside | 1880-05-06 | 3 | A sailor named P. Coffeen fell overboard from the schooner Sunnyside at Chicago last Wednesday night and was drowned. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Sunrise | 1916-09-22 | 2 | Kewaunee. The schooner Jas. H. Hall arrived in Kewaunee in a sinking condition and in tow of the tug Sunrise. She was in such bad shape that the coast guard crew and the tug Industry were needed to save the schooner from sinking at her dock. |
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.