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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Geneva News Tribune | Steam Yacht | Walworth | 1929-04-25 | |||
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Wanatee | 1895-07-20 | 5 | To be sold by U. S. marshal | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Wanda | 1914-06-25 | 1 | Spars shattered hitting bridge | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Wanda | 1914-07-30 | 1 | Crushed against dock by steamer Hubbard | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Schooner | Wander | 1893-11-30 | 4 | Crew abandoned their vessel on the beach near Grand Haven on Thur. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam packet | Wanderer | 1916-09-22 | 2 | Kewaunee. Fire found in a coal bunker on the port side but was extinguished before the Wanderer reached her dock. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Steam Packet | Wanderer | 1916-09-01 | 2 | This is the same vessel in which Dan Seevey roamed the lakes and in which he attempted to make his escape to Canada when the revenue cutter Moral wanted him for "piracy". | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Gasoline boat | Wanderer | 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 | Yacht | Wanderer | 1894-08-30 | 3 | While attempting to sail out of the harbor Tuesday, ripped her mainsail from "gaff to boom," and returned to repair. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Wanderer | 1917-10-25 | 1 | Now fishing |
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.