Every Lake
Lake Bde Maka Ska
Its Dakota name, restored in 2018, means White Earth Lake in the middle of Minneapolis.
- 17 ft · first step
- 34 ft
- 51 ft
- 69 ft
- 86 ft
- 103 ft · bottom
About Lake Bde Maka Ska
Lake Bde Maka Ska sits in south Minneapolis, formed by glacial retreat roughly 10,000 years ago as part of the chain of kettle lakes that includes Lake Harriet and Lake of the Isles. Surveyors in the 1800s named it Lake Calhoun after John C. Calhoun, the U.S. vice president and secretary of war who never visited it. The Dakota people had called the lake Bde Maka Ska, meaning White Earth Lake, for generations before European settlement. In 2018 the Hennepin County Board restored the Dakota name after years of local petitions.
The lake sits inside the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes park system, bordered by the Uptown and Linden Hills neighborhoods and connected to Lake Harriet by Minnehaha Creek. A paved path just over three miles long circles the shoreline, shared by walkers, runners, and cyclists, while sailboats, canoes, and paddleboards fill the water in summer. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board rebuilt the pavilions and trails around the lake in a master plan finished in the late 2010s. The lake's roughly circular shape and its deepest water near the center are typical of kettle lakes, formed when blocks of buried glacial ice melted and the surrounding sediment collapsed.
- 96 roads engraved around the shore, 7 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.
Lake Bde Maka Ska depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Bde Maka Ska depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 34 ft, 51 ft, 69 ft, 86 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 103 ft. The lake covers about 0.7 square miles, and 96 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 Lake Bde Maka Ska 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 Lake Bde Maka Ska 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 Lake Bde Maka Ska.
Lake Bde Maka Ska 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 Lake Bde Maka Ska; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Bde Maka Ska 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 103 ft
- 0.7 square miles of water
- 96 shore roads engraved, 7 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
