Every Lake
Wataba Lake
Developer Willie Winthrop carved three lakes into Ridgefield's hills in the 1930s; Wataba was the first.
- 6 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 19 ft
- 26 ft
- 32 ft
- 39 ft · bottom
About Wataba Lake
Wataba Lake sits in Ridgefield, Connecticut, one of three small lakes built in the 1930s and 1940s by developer Willie Winthrop. Winthrop planned a string of private lakes ringed with summer cottages, and Wataba came first, followed by Fox Hill Lake and a third lake along what is now Lakeside Drive. The houses that went up around the shoreline were built as seasonal retreats for families escaping New York and Fairfield County summers. Most of those cottages have since been converted to year-round residences, and the lake itself is also known locally as Rainbow Lake.
Ownership passed through several private owners after Winthrop's development period, and in 1985 the Ridgefield Lakes Association took over management of the lake and its surrounding roads. At roughly 40 acres with about a mile of shoreline, Wataba is small enough to paddle end to end in a few minutes, and reaches a maximum depth of about 39 feet. The lake sits in the hilly, wooded terrain of northern Fairfield County, in a town more associated with commuters to New York than with lake culture. Neighbors know it as much for the swimming and fishing as for the name most maps now use: Rainbow Lake.
- 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.
Wataba Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Wataba Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 13 ft, 19 ft, 26 ft, 32 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 39 ft. The lake covers about 0.1 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Wataba 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 Wataba 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 Wataba Lake.
Wataba 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 Wataba Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Wataba 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 39 ft
- 0.1 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
