Every Lake
Perry Lake
In 1966 the town of Ozawkie moved itself, board by board, ahead of the rising water.
- 13 ft · first step
- 27 ft
- 40 ft
- 53 ft
- 66 ft
- 79 ft · bottom
About Perry Lake
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished Perry Dam on the Delaware River in 1966, backing water up through Jefferson County in northeast Kansas. The reservoir was built for flood control on the Delaware and Kansas Rivers, with water supply and recreation added later. The rising lake covered the original town of Ozawkie. Because Ozawkie was unincorporated, the federal government would not fund its relocation, so residents formed their own nonprofit, moved a water tower, a school, and twenty-six homes, and rebuilt the town on higher ground to the west.
Perry Lake covers roughly 9,928 acres and sits about twenty miles northeast of Topeka, with Ozawkie, Perry, and Meriden holding the nearest addresses. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks manages the fishery, and the lake has a regional reputation for crappie, walleye, and wiper fishing. Perry State Park runs along the eastern shore with campgrounds and hiking trails, and the Corps of Engineers maintains additional public access points around the shoreline. Topeka and Lawrence residents make up much of the weekend boating traffic, drawn by a shoreline that stretches more than fifty miles around the reservoir's branching arms.
- 16 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 614 roads engraved around the shore, 15 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.
Perry Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Perry Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 13 ft, 27 ft, 40 ft, 53 ft, 66 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 79 ft. The lake covers about 16.1 square miles, and 614 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 Perry 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 Perry 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 Perry Lake.
Perry 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 Perry Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Perry 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 79 ft
- 16.1 square miles of water
- 614 shore roads engraved, 15 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
