Every Lake
Lake Wissota
Built in 1917 when a dam backed up the Chippewa River, 28 miles of shoreline near Chippewa Falls.
- 7 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 20 ft
- 27 ft
- 34 ft
- 40 ft · bottom
About Lake Wissota
Lake Wissota formed in 1917, when the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company built a dam across the Chippewa River northeast of Chippewa Falls to generate hydroelectric power. The dam flooded river bottomland and tributary valleys, producing a reservoir with an irregular, branching shoreline rather than the round basin typical of a glacial lake. The company that built it later became part of Northern States Power, and the dam still generates electricity today. The lake sits a few miles upstream from where the Chippewa River continues south toward Eau Claire.
Lake Wissota State Park opened on the lake's southeastern shore in 1971 and remains the main public access point for swimming, camping, and boat launches. The lake draws anglers after walleye, muskellunge, and panfish, along with water skiers and pontoon traffic on summer weekends. Chippewa Falls sits at its southern end, with Eau Claire a short drive further south; the surrounding shoreline mixes year-round homes, seasonal cottages, and resort development built up over the decades since the dam went in.
- 8 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 548 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.
Lake Wissota depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Wissota depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 13 ft, 20 ft, 27 ft, 34 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 40 ft. The lake covers about 8.2 square miles, and 548 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 Wissota 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 Wissota 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 Wissota.
Lake Wissota 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 Wissota; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Wissota 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 40 ft
- 8.2 square miles of water
- 548 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
