Lawrence
Quick Facts
Lawrence County is located in southwestern Indiana. The County comprises a
total of 448.8 square miles or 287,232 acres. The county is predominately rural
in nature with scattered settlements. The population density is 102.3 persons
per square mile overall for Lawrence county. The total population of Lawrence
County is 46,020. Minority population accounts for 1,010 or 2.2% of the total
population. Major population centers are Bedford with a population of 14,667,
and Mitchell with a population of 4,956. Diverse topographic relief
characterizes the five county districts. U.S. Highway 231, which passes
north-south through the Greene and Martin Counties, serves as a line of
demarcation for the physiographic districts. The portion of Wabash Lowland
physiographic region is characterized by extensive river bottoms and gently
rolling hills. The portion of the region located east of U.S., Highway 231 is a
part of the Crawford Upland, Norman Upland, and Mitchell Plain physiographic
regions. Steep hills and deep valleys characterize this portion of the
district. There are eight (8) different soil districts or soil associations for
Lawrence County.
Subsurface water supplies are generally hard to access in Lawrence County. The limestone in the area is responsible for the problems in accessing water. Lawrence County is within the Wabash River Basin and within the Watershed of the White River. The East Fork of the White River and its various major tributaries drains Lawrence County. They are Salt, Leatherwood, DeWitt, and Guthrie Creeks and many minor tributaries, including Sugar, Mill, Fishing, Chapman, and Crooked Creeks. In the northeastern portion of the County, Salt Creek and the Little Salt Creek and its related river branches dominate the topography. Leatherwood, the south fork of Leatherwood, DeWitt, Crawford, and the south fork of Crawford and Guthrie and Back Creeks influence the eastern portion. In the western portion of the County the primary water courses are the East Fork of the White River and Indian Creek, both of which meander through the areas of Williams and Silverville. There is a water impoundment area along the East Fork of the White River known as Williams Dam, and many lakes and ponds to be found within Spring Mill State Park, and at Kenray Lake, Georgia Quarry, and the Georgia Fire Tower Lake. In addition, there are a number of large springs within the county, which result from the unique ground water drainage characteristics of the Karst topography of the Mitchell Plain. Extensive districts along most of the rivers and streams in the County are subject to flooding. The majority of land area in Lawrence County is underlain with limestone. Sandstones and shale form the bedrock in some parts of the County. The county south of the East Fork of the White River and east of Bryantsville and Mitchell is entirely underlain by limestone. Limestone "sinks", which range from mere sage a few yards in diameter to depressions from 50 to 100 feet deep and a quarter of a mile wide are characteristic of this district. Sandstone and shale are found in the northern portion of the county. Limestone, sandstone, and shale outcropping are evident in this area.