Every Lake
Lake Nokomis
Renamed for Hiawatha's grandmother after Minneapolis dredged a marsh into a lake.
- 6 ft · first step
- 12 ft
- 19 ft
- 25 ft
- 31 ft
- 37 ft · bottom
About Lake Nokomis
Lake Nokomis began as a shallow, marshy body of water known as Lake Amelia. In the early 1900s the Minneapolis park board dredged and deepened it as part of a citywide push to link the city's lakes into a connected park system. The lake was renamed Nokomis after the grandmother of Hiawatha in Longfellow's poem, joining nearby Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun (now Bde Maka Ska) in what became known as the Chain of Lakes.
Today the lake sits inside a Minneapolis park bordered by the Nokomis neighborhood, with a paved path circling the shoreline for walking and biking. It has a public swimming beach, canoe and paddleboard rentals, and hosts an annual dragon boat festival. South Minneapolis families and paddlers use it as a close-to-home lake, distinct from the region's larger, more remote glacial lakes further north.
- 94 roads engraved around the shore, 13 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 Nokomis depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Nokomis depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 12 ft, 19 ft, 25 ft, 31 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 37 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles, and 94 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 Nokomis 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 Nokomis 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 Nokomis.
Lake Nokomis 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 Nokomis; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Nokomis 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 37 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- 94 shore roads engraved, 13 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
