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 | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1888-05-10 | 3 | On first trip, caught in the gale off Sheboygan, splitting his mainsail and carrying away his main boom. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-04-14 | 3 | While docked, a waterlogged scow broke loose and stove a hole in her. She sank rapidly. Raised and repaired for $30. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-04-21 | 3 | Ahnapee. Arrived Wed. Departed Thur., Foasoro, light. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1887-05-19 | 3 | The schooner Wm. Finch cleared for Milwaukee on Monday with a cargo of 2,000 cedar posts on owners account. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-07-21 | 3 | Joseph Muench has accepted the position of steward on the scow Wm. Finch. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Wm. Finch | 1884-11-20 | 3 | The schooner Wm. Finch, of Chicago, came into the harbor yesterday and will go into winter quarters here. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1888-05-24 | 3 | Scow Wm. Finch was in port on Saturday and cleared for Lily Bay, to take on a load of slabs for Port Washington. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1888-05-17 | 3 | The scow Wm. Finch, arrived from Milwaukee, light, on Monday. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Wm. Finch | 1887-04-14 | 3 | At Ahnapee. Arrived Sat., Sheboygan, 200 bags land plaster; | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Wm. Finch | 1887-05-26 | 3 | The tug Commodore Nutt towed the Wm. Finch to Clay Banks on Tuesday. |
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.