Every Lake
Caddo Lake
A logjam on the Red River backed up this water for decades before any dam did.
- 10 ft · first step
- 20 ft
- 31 ft
- 41 ft
- 51 ft
- 61 ft · bottom
About Caddo Lake
Caddo Lake straddles the Texas-Louisiana border northwest of Shreveport, formed as a massive logjam on the Red River, called the Great Raft, backed water into the Cypress Bayou basin over many decades. The lake takes its name from the Caddo people who lived along its shores before their removal in the 1830s. Engineers cleared the raft in stages through the 1870s to open the river to navigation, and in 1914 a dam near Mooringsport was built to hold water levels steady once the natural blockage was gone.
The lake is known for its bald cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, among the largest stands of their kind, and for a maze of bayous and sloughs navigable mainly by flat-bottom boat. The town of Uncertain, Texas, sits on its western shore, and Karnack, Texas, birthplace of Lady Bird Johnson, lies nearby. In 1911 a well drilled out over the water helped start one of the country's first over-water oil fields. Anglers still come for crappie and largemouth bass, and the lake is a designated wetland of international importance.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 458 roads engraved around the shore, 12 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.
Caddo Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Caddo Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 10 ft, 20 ft, 31 ft, 41 ft, 51 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 61 ft. The lake covers about 24.5 square miles, and 458 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 Caddo 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 Caddo 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 Caddo Lake.
Caddo 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 Caddo Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Caddo 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 61 ft
- 24.5 square miles of water
- 458 shore roads engraved, 12 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
