Every Lake
Carter Lake
Cut off from the Missouri River by an 1877 flood, still called an oxbow
- 4 ft · first step
- 8 ft
- 12 ft
- 16 ft
- 20 ft
- 24 ft · bottom
About Carter Lake
Carter Lake formed in 1877, when a flood pushed the Missouri River out of a horseshoe-shaped bend and cut a straighter channel to the east. The abandoned loop stayed behind as a landlocked oxbow, separated from the river that made it. The shift also stranded a chunk of Iowa land on the new, western side of the channel, setting off a boundary dispute between Iowa and Nebraska that reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1892.
The city of Carter Lake, Iowa, still sits on the Nebraska side of the river as a result, wrapping the north and east shore. Houses and docks line most of the water, and the lake sits a few minutes from Omaha's Eppley Airfield, under its flight path. Anglers work it for catfish and crappie, and the surrounding streets carry names tied to the old river bend the lake used to be part of.
- 183 roads engraved around the shore, 18 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.
Carter Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Carter Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 4 ft, 8 ft, 12 ft, 16 ft, 20 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 24 ft. The lake covers about 0.5 square miles, and 183 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 Carter 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 Carter 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 Carter Lake.
Carter 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 Carter Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Carter 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 24 ft
- 0.5 square miles of water
- 183 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
