Every Lake
Douglas Lake
Built by TVA in about a year during WWII to power Alcoa's aluminum furnaces.
- 15 ft · first step
- 31 ft
- 46 ft
- 62 ft
- 77 ft
- 93 ft · bottom
About Douglas Lake
The Tennessee Valley Authority built Douglas Dam on the French Broad River in about a year, finishing in February 1943 to meet wartime power demand for Alcoa's aluminum production. The resulting reservoir sits east of Knoxville, spanning Sevier and Jefferson counties. Downtown Dandridge, one of the oldest towns in Tennessee, was set to be flooded by the new lake; residents petitioned to save it, and TVA built a protective levee around the historic district instead of submerging it.
Douglas Lake now draws anglers rather than industry; it is regularly ranked among the top crappie fisheries in the country, with spring runs pulling tournament boats from across the Southeast. Shoreline towns include Dandridge and Kodak, within easy reach of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains. Water levels swing several feet between summer pool and winter drawdown, a TVA flood-control practice that exposes wide mud flats along the shallower upper end of the lake.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 2,435 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Douglas Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Douglas Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 15 ft, 31 ft, 46 ft, 62 ft, 77 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 93 ft. The lake covers about 27.2 square miles, and 2435 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas Lake.
Douglas 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 Douglas Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Douglas 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 93 ft
- 27.2 square miles of water
- 2435 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
