Every Lake
Muskegon Lake
The harbor that shipped Muskegon's white pine to rebuild Chicago after 1871.
- 7 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 22 ft
- 30 ft
- 37 ft
- 45 ft · bottom
About Muskegon Lake
Muskegon Lake sits where the Muskegon River meets Lake Michigan, a drowned river mouth carved as glacial meltwater retreated roughly 10,000 years ago. A narrow channel at its western end connects the lake directly to Lake Michigan, making it a natural harbor rather than an inland pond. The city of Muskegon grew along its southern shore, along with smaller communities like North Muskegon and Lakeside. The lake's shape is long and irregular, stretching several miles east from the channel, shaped by the old river valley it now floods.
In the late 1800s, Muskegon was called the Lumber Queen of the World, and mills along this lake's shore cut white pine floated down the river from northern Michigan forests. Much of that lumber shipped out to rebuild Chicago after the 1871 fire. When the pine ran out, foundries, chemical plants, and paper mills took over the waterfront, and decades of industrial discharge later earned the lake an EPA Area of Concern listing in 1985. Cleanup and habitat restoration since then have brought back marinas, sport fishing charters, and shoreline parks.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 752 roads engraved around the shore, 10 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.
Muskegon Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Muskegon Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 15 ft, 22 ft, 30 ft, 37 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 45 ft. The lake covers about 6.5 square miles, and 752 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 Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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 Muskegon Lake.
Muskegon 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 Muskegon Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Muskegon 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 45 ft
- 6.5 square miles of water
- 752 shore roads engraved, 10 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
