Every Lake
Gardner Lake
In 1895 a grocer tried hauling his house across the ice — it sank instead.
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 21 ft
- 28 ft
- 35 ft
- 42 ft · bottom
About Gardner Lake
Gardner Lake sits at the junction of Salem, Montville, and Bozrah in southeastern Connecticut, a short drive north of New London. The lake takes its name from the Gardner family, who farmed the land along its shore before the property passed into public and state hands. An earthen dam later raised the water level, enlarging the lake past its original natural footprint. Three state parks now sit along its edges — Gardner Lake State Park, Hopemead State Park, and Minnie Island State Park, the last one reachable only by boat.
In the winter of 1895, a local grocer tried to move his house across the lake on the frozen surface. The ice gave way, the house cracked through, and it settled with its upper floors still standing above the waterline, looking like a lighthouse. Local kids skated past it in winter and fished off its roof in summer for years afterward. Today the lake carries on as a working recreational lake — bass and pickerel fishing, boat launches, and a shoreline split between old summer cottages and year-round homes.
- 29 roads engraved around the shore, 3 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.
Gardner Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Gardner Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 21 ft, 28 ft, 35 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 42 ft. The lake covers about 0.8 square miles, and 29 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 Gardner 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 Gardner 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 Gardner Lake.
Gardner 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 Gardner Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Gardner 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 42 ft
- 0.8 square miles of water
- 29 shore roads engraved, 3 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
