Every Lake
Chisago Lake
1,727 acres, 33 feet deep at most — the lake Vilhelm Moberg renamed Ki-Chi-Saga in his emigrant novels
- 6 ft · first step
- 11 ft
- 17 ft
- 22 ft
- 28 ft
- 33 ft · bottom
About Chisago Lake
Chisago Lake lies in Chisago County, Minnesota, north of St. Paul, part of a chain of glacially carved lakes that includes North and South Center Lakes. The chain formed as retreating ice sheets left behind kettle basins and moraine, a pattern common across east-central Minnesota. At roughly 1,727 acres, Chisago Lake is large for the chain but shallow, with a modeled maximum depth near 33 feet, more a broad basin than a deep pit. Chisago City sits on its western shore, Center City to the south, both small towns built around the water's edge.
The lake carries a literary name: Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg used a version of it, called Ki-Chi-Saga, as the settling ground for his emigrant characters in The Emigrants and its sequels, drawing on the Swedish settlement of Chisago County that began in the 1850s. That heritage is still visible in the county's town names and local museums. Today the lake draws walleye and panfish anglers, pontoon traffic out of Chisago City and Center City, and cabin owners within an easy drive of the Twin Cities, making it one of the busier lakes in the chain on summer weekends.
- 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.
Chisago Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Chisago Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 11 ft, 17 ft, 22 ft, 28 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 33 ft. The lake covers about 2.8 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Chisago 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 Chisago 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 Chisago Lake.
Chisago 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 Chisago Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Chisago 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 33 ft
- 2.8 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
