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 | Steamer | Western Reserve | 1892-11-24 | 3 | Steel boat lost. Capt. Stines of steamer Virginia gives pro and con of steel and wood. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Western Reserve | 1892-09-08 | 3 | Broke in two in Lake Superior on Thursday and sank in 10 minutes. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Western Reserve | 1893-04-20 | 3 | Loss last season drew attention to the weak spots in steel steamer. | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Western Star | 1915-10-07 | 1 | Foundered in Georgian bay | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Western Star | 1916-02-17 | 1 | Wrecked last fall - declared a total loss | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Western Star | 1916-04-20 | 8 | Work on raising abandoned for the time | |
| Door County Advocate | Freighter | Western Star | 1912-08-08 | 1 | Arrived with cargo of coal | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Western Star | 1905-06-17 | 1 | Ashore at Whitefish point | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Western Star | 1917-11-01 | 1 | Was on rocks two years - worth more now than 1903 | |
| Door County Advocate | Steamer | Western Star | 1909-10-28 | 1 | Released in harbor at Buffalo |
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.