Every Lake
South Center Lake
Center City sits on the lake chain that inspired Vilhelm Moberg's emigrant novels.
- 20 ft · first step
- 40 ft
- 60 ft
- 80 ft
- 100 ft
- 120 ft · bottom
About South Center Lake
South Center Lake sits in Chisago County, Minnesota, about 45 miles northeast of St. Paul. It connects to North Center Lake through a narrow channel, and together the two lakes form part of the Chisago Chain of Lakes. The towns of Center City and Lindstrom border its shores; Center City is the county seat. Swedish immigrants settled the area in the 1850s, drawn by land and water resembling home, and the chain's lake country became the setting for Vilhelm Moberg's four-volume emigrant novels, later adapted into film and a Broadway musical.
The lake holds walleye, muskellunge, and panfish, and the Minnesota DNR has stocked muskellunge here as part of the Chisago chain fishery. Boat access points sit near Lindstrom and Center City, and the lake draws anglers and cabin owners from the Twin Cities on weekends. Depth data place the deepest water near 120 feet, among the deeper lakes in the chain, while the surrounding shoreline holds a mix of year-round homes and seasonal cabins built through the twentieth century. Ice fishing continues through winter, with houses set out once the ice thickens enough to hold weight.
- 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.
South Center Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a South Center Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 20 ft, 40 ft, 60 ft, 80 ft, 100 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 120 ft. The lake covers about 1.4 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A South Center 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 South Center 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 South Center Lake.
South Center 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 South Center Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. South Center 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 120 ft
- 1.4 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
