Every Lake
Carlyle Reservoir
A 1967 Army Corps dam turned the Kaskaskia River into Illinois's largest lake.
- 9 ft · first step
- 18 ft
- 27 ft
- 36 ft
- 44 ft
- 53 ft · bottom
About Carlyle Reservoir
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Carlyle Lake by damming the Kaskaskia River, closing the gates in 1967 to create the largest lake wholly within Illinois. The project was authorized for flood control and navigation on the Kaskaskia, which had flooded farmland and small towns for decades. The dam sits near the town of Carlyle, roughly 40 miles east of Belleville and the St. Louis metro area. Filling the reservoir meant relocating roads, farms, and portions of the old river channel beneath the new shoreline.
Carlyle Lake became known as a sailing center, with a large fleet based out of clubs on its open, wind-exposed water and regular regatta racing through the season. Eldon Hazlet, South Shore, and Coles Creek state parks ring the shoreline with campgrounds and boat ramps used by anglers after crappie, catfish, and white bass. The General Dean Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian span moved to the spillway when old Route 50 was rerouted, remains a local landmark. Towns like Carlyle and Boulder anchor a mix of weekend boaters from the St. Louis area and local farm families.
- 20 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 462 roads engraved around the shore, 18 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.
Carlyle Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Carlyle Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 9 ft, 18 ft, 27 ft, 36 ft, 44 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 53 ft. The lake covers about 36.0 square miles, and 462 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 Carlyle Reservoir 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 Carlyle Reservoir 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 Carlyle Reservoir.
Carlyle Reservoir 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 Carlyle Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Carlyle Reservoir 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 53 ft
- 36.0 square miles of water
- 462 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
