Every Lake
New Gillespie Lake
245 acres above a coal town that gave the lake its name twice.
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 21 ft
- 28 ft
- 35 ft
- 42 ft · bottom
About New Gillespie Lake
New Gillespie Lake sits in the hill country of Macoupin County, Illinois, a few miles from the city of Gillespie, which grew up around coal mining in the early 1900s. The lake was built as a reservoir to serve the town, impounding a local creek in the reclaimed mining and farm country north of the Metro East region. It replaced an earlier, smaller municipal lake, which is why it carries the name New Gillespie rather than just Gillespie.
The lake draws local anglers more than tourists, with largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish stocked and managed as part of the town's fishing water. Boats on the water tend to be aluminum johnboats and small bass rigs rather than pontoons, and much of the shoreline remains undeveloped, bordered by woods and old mining ground rather than cottages. Gillespie and the nearby towns of Benld and Mount Olive share the same coal-mining history, and the lake is treated locally as a fishing and water-supply asset rather than a resort destination.
- 59 roads engraved around the shore, 4 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.
New Gillespie Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a New Gillespie 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 0.4 square miles, and 59 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 New Gillespie 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 New Gillespie 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 New Gillespie Lake.
New Gillespie 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 New Gillespie Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. New Gillespie 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
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 59 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
