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 | Season shipping record | Clay Banks | 1870-01-06 | 4 | 1869 | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Pier | Clay Banks | 1885-04-16 | 3 | Ice took out about one half of the bridge piers at Foscoro and Clay Banks. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Pier | Clay Banks | 1885-02-05 | 3 | Swaty & Fellows are getting out the necessary piles, caps and stringers, at Clay Banks with which to thoroughly rebuild their pier. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Horn's Pier | Clay Banks | 1887-02-10 | 3 | The mill here will not have much to do next summer, as very few logs are coming in. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Mill | Clay Banks | 1875-04-15 | 8 | Recently destroyed by fire. Is in process of re construction. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Mill | Clay Banks | 1875-05-20 | 8 | Was recently destroyed by fire. Re construction finished. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Port | Clay Banks | 1874-08-06 | 8 | Clay Banks is doing more shipping than any port in Door county. | |
| Door County Advocate | Pier | Clay Banks | 1896-01-11 | 5 | Nothing remains | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Pier | Clay Banks | 1878-01-03 | 8 | James Tuffts is repairing the pier at this place. For a long time it has been hardly fit to use. | |
| Ahnapee (Algoma) Record | Pier | Clay Banks | 1883-03-01 | 3 | Clay Banks. A large number of piles for the old and new pier are banked on the lake shore. |
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.