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 | Tug | Brooks | 1899-02-10 | 3 | On Wednesday the tug Brooks was hoisted up and a leak stopped around the stern bearings. The work was done where she lays in the ice. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1899-05-05 | 3 | The schooners Industry and Charlie Smith left here Sunday for Milwaukee loaded with cedar posts. The tug Brooks towed them into the lake. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fishing tug | Brooks | 1883-11-29 | 3 | Ran in here for shelter. In going up the river she ran on a rock, breaking her wheel. She was taken to Man. By tug Commodore Nutt. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1885-05-14 | 3 | Towed the government dredge to Sheboygan. Returned here and left for Green Bay with two stone scows in tow. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1885-01-08 | 3 | The tug Brooks lifted a gang of nets for some of our fishermen Monday, securing nearly 500 pounds of fish. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1885-01-22 | 3 | Could not find a gang of nets due to the steam which has hung over the lake during the cold snap. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1885-04-16 | 3 | Brought in 9 whitefish and 5 trout with a combined weight of 233 pounds. J. L. McDonald purchased the fish and vouches the truth. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1902-07-18 | 1 | Capt. Frank Chapek gave the tug Brooks a coat of paint while laying in port this week. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Fishing tug | Brooks | 1903-03-13 | 1 | The fishing tug Brooks was taken to Kewaunee Sunday to have her boiler cleared. The boiler on the tug Herman was also cleared on the same day. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Tug | Brooks | 1903-09-11 | 1 | The tug Brooks arrived in port Sunday night with another load of fruit from across the lake. |
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.