Every Lake
Harry L. Englebright Lake
Built in 1941 to trap Gold Rush mining debris before it reached the Sacramento Valley.
- 9 ft · first step
- 17 ft
- 26 ft
- 35 ft
- 43 ft
- 52 ft · bottom
About Harry L. Englebright Lake
Englebright Dam went up on the Yuba River in 1941, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers primarily to catch sediment left over from decades of hydraulic gold mining upstream. Nineteenth-century mining had washed so much gravel and debris into the river system that it threatened to clog downstream channels and worsen flooding in the Sacramento Valley. The dam and the lake behind it were built as a permanent debris barrier, a role distinct from most reservoirs, which exist for irrigation or municipal water supply instead.
The lake fills a narrow canyon cut by the Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada foothills, with steep forested slopes running down to the water on both sides. Because there is little flat shoreline, it draws boaters who anchor overnight on the water rather than dock at a town, and houseboating is common through the summer months. The Yuba River below the dam continues on past Marysville and Yuba City on its way to the Feather River. Access to the lake is mostly by boat launch rather than a developed lakefront community.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 90 roads engraved around the shore, 1 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Harry L. Englebright Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Harry L. Englebright Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 9 ft, 17 ft, 26 ft, 35 ft, 43 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 52 ft. The lake covers about 1.2 square miles, and 90 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Harry L. Englebright Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Harry L. Englebright Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Harry L. Englebright Lake.
Harry L. Englebright Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Harry L. Englebright Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Harry L. Englebright Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 52 ft
- 1.2 square miles of water
- 90 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
