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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Chas. J. Smith | 1898-11-26 | 1 | Part of the mosquito fleet | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chas. J. Smith | 1898-08-19 | 3 | The schooner Chas. J. Smith, Capt. Armstrong, was in port Saturday with a load of peaches, which was disposed of to the local merchants. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chas. J. Smith | 1897-11-26 | 3 | Commanded by Capt. Wm. Armstrong, arrived here and was at once stripped and laid up for the winter. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Chas. J. Smith | 1899-07-07 | 2 | Left for Milwaukee with a cargo of hay. It will return with a cargo of oats from Milwaukee. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Chas. J. Smith | 1899-07-07 | 2 | The tug J. N. Brooks towed the Chas. J. Smith to the lake Wednesday forenoon, the wind having got around to the north. She was bound for Milwaukee. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Scow | Chas. J. Smith | 1900-05-04 | 1 | Arrived with a cargo of merchandise for local merchants. She left for Menominee for a load of lumber for H. Gericke. | |
| Door County Advocate | Schooner | Chas. J. Smith | 1902-07-05 | 1 | Half interest sold to a Milwaukee for $225 | |
| Door County Advocate | Chas. J. Smith | 1903-11-21 | 1 | Capt. found nearer dead than alive | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Chas. J. Smith | 1903-11-27 | 1 | Capt. Wm. Armstrong was found lying in the cabin of his vessel, the Chas. J. Smith, nearer dead than alive. He died. The Capt. Has never seen a well day since the time he was master of the old schooner Peoria. | ||
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Schooner | Chas. J. Smith | 1898-09-16 | 3 | The schooners Chas. J. Smith and Brown were in port this week with cargoes 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.