Every Lake
Lake Chippewa
Created in 1923 when Winter Dam flooded the Chippewa River, leaving more shoreline than any other Wisconsin lake.
- 17 ft · first step
- 34 ft
- 52 ft
- 69 ft
- 86 ft
- 103 ft · bottom
About Lake Chippewa
Lake Chippewa, often called the Chippewa Flowage, was formed in 1923 when Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power completed Winter Dam across the Chippewa River. The rising water covered farmland, a sawmill settlement, and burial sites, and it borders land belonging to the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, whose reservation lies along its western shore. The dam linked a chain of smaller natural lakes into a single reservoir scattered with more than 200 islands. Winter and Hayward, the closest towns, grew around the fishing resorts and guide services that followed the flooding.
The flowage is known nationally for muskellunge fishing, and anglers have landed record-class muskies here since the 1940s; resort owners and fishing guides still work its stump fields and channels each open-water season. Its shoreline stretches roughly 154 miles across about 13,810 acres, giving it an unusually long, irregular edge for its size. Depths reach roughly 103 feet in the old river channel, deep enough to hold cold water through summer. Much of the surrounding land sits within the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation and nearby national forest, keeping development lighter than on lakes closer to major highways.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 259 roads engraved around the shore, 8 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 Chippewa depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Chippewa depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 34 ft, 52 ft, 69 ft, 86 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 103 ft. The lake covers about 25.0 square miles, and 259 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 Chippewa 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 Chippewa 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 Chippewa.
Lake Chippewa 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 Chippewa; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Chippewa 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 103 ft
- 25.0 square miles of water
- 259 shore roads engraved, 8 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
