Every Lake
Cass Lake
Star Island sits in the middle of Cass Lake — and holds its own lake inside it.
- 23 ft · first step
- 46 ft
- 69 ft
- 91 ft
- 114 ft
- 137 ft · bottom
About Cass Lake
Cass Lake takes its name from Lewis Cass, the Michigan territorial governor who led an 1820 expedition up the Mississippi River and, on reaching the lake, believed he had found the river's source. In 1832, Henry Schoolcraft continued past Cass Lake and identified Lake Itasca, farther north, as the true headwaters, but the earlier name stayed. The lake sits in the upper Mississippi River chain in north-central Minnesota, a few miles east of Bemidji, and the river still flows south through it toward the Gulf of Mexico.
The lake lies within the Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation, and the town of Cass Lake sits on its southwest shore. Near the lake's center is Star Island, one of the larger islands on any lake in Minnesota, and inside it sits a smaller lake called Lake Windigo — a lake within an island within a lake. Anglers have long fished the lake for walleye, and resorts and cabins line stretches of its roughly 71 miles of shoreline, mixing tribal, federal, and private land around the water.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 303 roads engraved around the shore, 5 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.
Cass Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Cass Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 23 ft, 46 ft, 69 ft, 91 ft, 114 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 137 ft. The lake covers about 30.8 square miles, and 303 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 Cass 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 Cass 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 Cass Lake.
Cass 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 Cass Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Cass 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 137 ft
- 30.8 square miles of water
- 303 shore roads engraved, 5 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
