Due to its location being at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the unprotected harbor was in the wrong place—physically. Storms would wreak havoc on the boats traveling through the area and wrecks littered the beaches east and west of Michigan City. When bad weather suddenly appeared, there was simply no place for the schooners to run and hide.

The depth of Trail Creek was yet another set back. It was too shallow for large boats to travel over. The solution was for the schooners (lumber hookers) to anchor off shore where they would wait to be loaded and unloaded by smaller boats bringing supplies to and from shore.

Another constant source of irritation came from the fine sand that blew across the dunes and formed a sand bar at the mouth of the Creek. These problems would continue to plague Michigan City until federal funds were appropriated to dredge the river’s entrance in the late 1870’s. By the early 1900's, the final solution to the drifting sand problem was under control. Hoosier Slide, the largest sand dune in the area was taken down a shovel full at a time and sold off for profit. The land mass stood almost two hundred feet high and was located on the west side of Trail Creek.