A Toolbox with a Story: Remembering Sturgeon Bay’s Roland Writt

Every object in the Madden Tool Museum has a story — and sometimes, that story connects us to the lives and sacrifices of those who once called Door County home. One of our newest additions is a simple wooden toolbox with a remarkable history.

This toolbox once belonged to Roland Writt of Sturgeon Bay, a crew member in the engine room of the Great Lakes freighter Clifton. In 1923, the Clifton, a 300-foot bulk freight ship, was converted into a self-unloading carrier. The innovative design for its unloading system came from local entrepreneur Leathem D. Smith, whose ingenuity allowed ships to deliver cargo in smaller harbors and along riverbanks. The Clifton found its niche hauling crushed limestone from Sturgeon Bay.

On September 20, 1924, the Clifton set out from Sturgeon Bay carrying more than 2,000 tons of crushed stone bound for Detroit. The next day, as the ship crossed Lake Huron, a powerful storm swept through the area. The Clifton never arrived at its destination. When she was reported overdue, searches began — but the ship and her crew had vanished. In the weeks that followed, wreckage and the bodies of several crew members were found along the Lake Huron shoreline. Among them was Roland Writt, who left behind a young wife and a one-year-old child.

Not long after, Roland’s empty toolbox was discovered floating on the lake. Something inside — now lost to time — identified its owner, and the box was returned to his mother, Delia Writt of Sturgeon Bay. It later passed to his sister Marcella and, about forty years ago, to his nephew Patrick Conlon of Sister Bay, who recently donated it to the Door County Historical Society.

In 2016, more than ninety years after the tragedy, the wreck of the Clifton was discovered, finally solving one of the Great Lakes’ enduring mysteries.

Today, Roland Writt’s toolbox is on display at the Madden Tool Museum at Heritage Village. It serves as a quiet reminder of the human stories behind our region’s maritime past — stories of innovation, hard work, and loss on the Great Lakes.

We wish to extend a special thank you to Eric Bonow for facilitating this donation and ensuring that the toolbox’s owner, Roland Writt, is not forgotten.