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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1887-08-18 | 3 | Boiler of tug burned and sunk off Sandy Bay last year., raised and brought here | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1893-02-09 | 3 | Is being rebuilt and will have a new boiler put in. | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1886-05-13 | 3 | Towing logs from Menominee to Depere | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1883-08-16 | 3 | Dry docked for general overhauling and to be ironed | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1882-05-04 | 3 | Newly build - launched | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-06-24 | 3 | Returned from Chicago with two ice scows | |
| Door County Advocate | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-01-08 | 3 | To be built | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1880-05-06 | 3 | The new tug Thomas Spear was launched at Sturgeon Bay last Thursday. She made a trial trip to Green Bay. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1885-09-10 | 3 | Two scows towed by tug, lumberladen, went ashore at Milw. The tug itself nearly foundered | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Tug | Thomas Spear | 1892-12-22 | 3 | In winter quarters at this place |
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.