From the 1830's Michigan City was a principal grain shipping center, and from the 1850's a major railroad repair shop center. This led the town to become a major harbor after the Civil War, then a famous passenger liner and shipping port. The huge sand dune at the mouth of Trail Creek and next to the harbor became a source of glass-making sand in the 1870's. All the while Michigan City was always a recreational and tourism destination for the folks in the Lake Michigan region.