Every Lake
Lake Lemon
Dammed in 1953 on Beanblossom Creek to supply Indiana University with water.
- 8 ft · first step
- 16 ft
- 23 ft
- 31 ft
- 39 ft
- 47 ft · bottom
About Lake Lemon
Lake Lemon formed in 1953, when Riddle Dam was built across Beanblossom Creek to create a water supply reservoir for Indiana University in Bloomington. It sits in Monroe and Brown counties near the community of Unionville, several miles northeast of the campus it was originally built to serve. Indiana University later moved to a different water source, and control of the lake passed to a local conservancy district. The reservoir now covers about 1,282 acres with roughly 12 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth near 47 feet, shallow relative to its surface area.
The lake draws sailors, anglers, and cabin owners from Bloomington and the surrounding college towns, with a sailing club that has raced small boats on the water for decades. Its shoreline mixes seasonal cottages with year-round homes, and the surrounding hills separate it from denser development near campus. Fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill draws anglers from around Monroe County. Because it was built as a utility reservoir rather than shaped by natural glacial retreat, its outline follows the flooded valley of Beanblossom Creek, giving it a narrow, branching shape rather than a single open basin.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 55 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.
Lake Lemon depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Lemon depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 16 ft, 23 ft, 31 ft, 39 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 47 ft. The lake covers about 2.1 square miles, and 55 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 Lemon 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 Lemon 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 Lemon.
Lake Lemon 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 Lemon; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Lemon 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 47 ft
- 2.1 square miles of water
- 55 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
