Lawrence

Formed January 11, 1875 (40^th county)

Lawrence County (25,766), Deadwood (1,152), Spearfish (12,197)

The classic Beaux Arts courthouse, built in 1908, was renovated and augmented in 1990.  It is on Sherman and Pine streets.  United States Highway 85 is one block to the west of the courthouse.  The firm of Belle and Detweiler designed this brown stone structure.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds and the building features a tower.  An Administration building is next door.  The county was founded on January 11, 1875 as the 40^th county with Deadwood as the only county seat.  The county is named for settler, John Lawrence.  Deadwood is named for the dead trees found in the gulch near the town’s location. 

Lawrence County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Four Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Lawrence, Butte, Corson, Dewey, Harding, Meade, Perkins, and Ziebach counties.  The county is on the western border with Wyoming.  Rapid City, South Dakota is south and Pierre, South Dakota is east of the county.  The county center is 3.8 miles West-Northwest of Deadwood nearer Central City.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Butte, Meade, and Pennington counties and Wyoming. 

The area of the county is 800 square miles.  It is 41 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 32.2 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 66 in the state.  Lawrence County has 67.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 crosses the county from the east, Meade County, to the north, Butte County.  United States Highway 14 is joined with Interstate Highway 90 from Meade to Butte counties.  United States Highway 14 Alternate goes from Meade County and terminates.  United States Highway 85 comes in from Butte County, north, and goes west into Wyoming.  United States Highway 385 originates and heads south into Pennington County.  The county resembles a fat capital letter L.  Deadwood is slightly east of center in the county.  Spearfish is directly southwest of Deadwood.  Deadwood is the county seat and Spearfish is the largest city.  Deadwood is 4.5% of the county population while Spearfish is 47.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Spearfish Micropolitan Statistical Area.