Every Lake
Lake McClure
Built in 1967, New Exchequer Dam buried the gold-rush town of Exchequer under the Merced River.
- 17 ft · first step
- 33 ft
- 50 ft
- 66 ft
- 83 ft
- 99 ft · bottom
About Lake McClure
Merced Irrigation District built New Exchequer Dam on the Merced River between 1964 and 1967, raising a 490-foot rockfill wall across a canyon in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The dam replaced an older 1926 structure and backed water up over the mining-era town of Exchequer, which now lies under the reservoir. The lake took its name from Wilbur F. McClure, the state engineer who oversaw California dam construction in the early twentieth century. It sits mostly in Mariposa County, with its lower end reaching toward Merced County near the town of Snelling.
Boaters reach the lake from Barrett Cove and McClure Point, the two developed marinas on its shoreline. Anglers come for largemouth and spotted bass, and the lake hosts bass tournaments through spring and fall. Houseboat rentals and camping draw weekend traffic from the Central Valley by way of Highway 132 and Highway 49, the old gold country road. Coulterville, a former mining town, sits in the hills above the lake's upper arm, while Snelling lies near its lower end.
- 8 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 192 roads engraved around the shore, 0 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.
Lake McClure depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake McClure depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 33 ft, 50 ft, 66 ft, 83 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 99 ft. The lake covers about 8.2 square miles, and 192 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 Lake McClure 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 Lake McClure 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 Lake McClure.
Lake McClure 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 Lake McClure; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake McClure 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 99 ft
- 8.2 square miles of water
- 192 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
