Newspaper Search

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 Tom Brown 1900-02-24 1 Sunk in lake by ice
Door County Advocate Tug Tom Brown 1900-03-24 1 Raised and beached
Door County Advocate Tug Tom Brown 1910-04-28 1 Boiler of old tug in tug Andy
Door County Advocate Tom Brown 1901-01-05 1 Lost during past season
Door County Advocate Tug Tom Brown 1900-05-05 1 One of vessels in new branch of Maytham towing and Wrecking company
Ahnapee (Algoma) Record Tug Tom Brown 1879-10-16 4 The tug reached Green Bay from Chicago, via the Sturgeon Bay canal, in 43 hours.
Door County Advocate Tug Tom Dowling 1908-08-20 1 Caught fire
Door County Advocate Tug Tom Dowling 1907-12-26 1 Was sunk
Door County Advocate Tug Tom Dowling 1908-06-11 1 Sunk at dock while owner slept in cabin
Ahnapee (Algoma) Record Schooner Tom Paine 1884-09-04 3 Schooners Tom Paine and Industry, were in port on Monday.

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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.

© 2025 - Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Historical Society