Every Lake
Manito Lake
220 acres, a five-mile shoreline, ten miles north of Pontiac, Michigan.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 31 ft
- 38 ft
- 46 ft · bottom
About Manito Lake
Manito Lake sits in Oakland County, Michigan, in the belt of small lakes left behind when the Wisconsin glaciation retreated roughly 14,000 to 11,000 years ago. Meltwater pooled in the depressions the ice carved into the till, and Manito is one of hundreds of kettle and moraine lakes scattered across the county. At about 220 acres with roughly five miles of shoreline, it sits on the smaller end of the region's lake chains, ringed mostly by year-round and seasonal homes rather than open public frontage.
As Pontiac grew into an auto manufacturing center through the early and mid-1900s, lakes within a short drive of the city filled in with cottages built by workers and their families looking for a weekend escape from the plants. Manito Lake followed that pattern, developing into a residential lake rather than a resort destination. Today it draws anglers after bass and panfish and residents who use it for swimming and small boats, with a maximum depth of about 46 feet keeping it modest compared to the county's larger, deeper lakes.
- 40 roads engraved around the shore, 8 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.
Manito Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Manito Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 15 ft, 23 ft, 31 ft, 38 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 46 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles, and 40 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 Manito 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 Manito 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 Manito Lake.
Manito 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 Manito Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Manito 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 46 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 40 shore roads engraved, 8 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
