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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wilson | 1884-04-17 | 3 | One of arrivals here. Sunday, Chicago, light. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wilson | 1901-06-28 | 1 | The schooner Wilson was compelled to lay in port several days this week, trying to get a couple of sailors, part of the crew having left her. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wilson | 1878-05-23 | 8 | Arrived at Ahnapee May 18 from Clay Banks. Departed May 20 for Clay Banks. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wilson | 1884-04-17 | 3 | Cleared here Wednesday, Chicago, ties and posts for Swaty & Co. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wilson | 1901-05-24 | 1 | The schooners Cora, Pearl, Bell and Wilson were all in port the first of the week with lumber and lath. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Steamer | Winchester | 1866-03-09 | 1 | Burned on the Ohio River | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Winchester | 1869-08-26 | 4 | Cargo of lumber | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Lighthouse | Wind Point | 1880-10-21 | 3 | Information on new lighthouse erected on Wind Point, four miles north of Racine, Wis. | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ice | Windiate | 1879-02-13 | 3 | To have ice house filled. Twenty men working | |
| Manitowoc Pilot | Ice | Windiate | 1879-02-06 | 3 | Info on ice house size and holding capacity |
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.