A few years later, Woodrush was called out to help break ice for some freighters near the Soo Locks.

The Soo Locks were made a part of the Great Lakes Waterway system in 1959.

The Soo Locks are located on the north and south sides of the river.

However, the rapids were greatly diminished when a shipping channel was dug for lake freighters using the Soo Locks to the north.

Shipwrecks along this coast dramatically increased after the Soo Locks opened this coastline to shipping in 1855.

The ships took two and a half days to make the trip each way, including half a day traversing the Soo Locks.

From there the ore would be shipped by freighter through the Soo Locks.

The planned use of the base, along with training military personnel, was to provide air defense for the Soo Locks.

The international boundary runs through the bay, which is heavily used by shipping traffic northbound and southbound from the Soo Locks.

Whitefish Bay became the site of numerous shipwrecks after the Soo Locks opened in 1855.