Every Lake
Mark Twain Lake
Named for a writer born 35 miles away, held back by a dam finished in 1983.
- 15 ft · first step
- 31 ft
- 46 ft
- 61 ft
- 76 ft
- 92 ft · bottom
About Mark Twain Lake
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Clarence Cannon Dam across the Salt River in northeast Missouri, closing the gates in 1983 to form the reservoir. The lake was named for Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, who was born in 1835 in Florida, Missouri, a small town near the lake's upper reaches. The project was authorized for flood control, water supply, and recreation, and the surrounding land became Mark Twain State Park.
Hannibal, where Clemens grew up and set Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, sits about twenty miles east on the Mississippi River. Towns closer to the lake itself include Perry and New London, and anglers drive in from as far as Quincy, Illinois, for bass tournaments run out of the lake's marinas. The reservoir's shoreline runs roughly 139 miles, a length shaped by flooded creek arms and hollows rather than a single open basin, which spreads fishing and boat traffic across many coves instead of one main body.
- 18 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 681 roads engraved around the shore, 15 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.
Mark Twain Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Mark Twain Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 15 ft, 31 ft, 46 ft, 61 ft, 76 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 92 ft. The lake covers about 24.5 square miles, and 681 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 Mark Twain 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 Mark Twain 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 Mark Twain Lake.
Mark Twain 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 Mark Twain Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Mark Twain 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 92 ft
- 24.5 square miles of water
- 681 shore roads engraved, 15 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
