The poisoned ghost town of Picher, Oklahoma

A tragic end to a bustling town

In 1913, a mining town in northeastern Oklahoma started producing the lead and zinc that would help America win two world wars.

By 1926, Picher had 14,252 residents, a bustling main street, and chat piles rising up to 200 feet into the sky. Kids played on those piles. Families had picnics on them. Nobody knew the dust was poison.

Today, Picher is empty. The last business owner died in 2015.

You can still drive through what’s left.

Over Half of WWI Metals Came From Here

During World War I, the Picher region supplied more than 50% of the zinc and 45% of the lead used by the United States.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, patriotism surged, and so did the metal mines in Picher, which continued producing materials critical to the World War II effort.

The town that helped America win its biggest conflicts would eventually be destroyed by the very industry that built it.

A Town Born Overnight in 1913

In 1913, lead and zinc were discovered on Harry Crawfish’s claim, and mining began.

In late 1913, lead and zinc were discovered on Harry Crawfish’s allotment, and mining began. A townsite developed overnight around the new workings and was named Picher in honor of O.S. Picher, owner of Picher Lead Company.

Statewide newspapers reported that the town was born overnight.

Picher was incorporated in March 1918 and had a population of 9,726 by 1920, which peaked at 14,252 in 1926 at the height of mining.

More than fourteen thousand men worked the mines, and another four thousand worked in mining service businesses, with many commuting via trolley from as far away as Carthage, Missouri.

Kids Played on Massive Poison Mountains

The people of Picher regularly picnicked on the chat piles and rode bikes on them. Sometimes they carted the dust away and mixed it with cement to fill their driveways. Some parents added it to their children’s sandboxes.

For decades, town residents had no idea the dust was poisonous.

The chat piles, some towering up to 200 feet high, were just part of the landscape.

Creeks Ran Red with Contamination

Before the dangers of the chat piles were known, families had picnics atop them, teens rode bikes up and down the steep hills, and children even put the chat in their sandboxes.

The creeks in the area became contaminated with metals like cadmium, iron, and other heavy metals, turning the water orange and red.

According to former residents, what many thought was sunburn after swimming was actually a chemical burn.

A Third of Children Had Lead Poisoning

A 1994 Indian Health Service study found that 34% of the children in Picher suffered from lead poisoning due to environmental contamination, which could result in lifelong neurological problems.

Additional studies in the area found similarly alarming rates among children tested, with levels far exceeding statewide averages.

The people have suffered extended adverse health effects, including high rates of neurological damage to children.

Test Scores Suffered for Years Before Anyone Knew

Most residents were unaware of the poisoning taking place, but that changed in the mid-1990s when health officials began documenting the link between lead exposure and learning disabilities.

Studies of Picher-Cardin school students found elevated lead levels far above state averages.

Lead accumulates in the body, cannot be easily removed, and the effects can last a lifetime.

86% of Buildings Could Collapse Anytime

A 2006 Army Corps of Engineers study showed 86% of Picher’s buildings, including the town school, were badly undermined and subject to collapse at any time.

The contaminated water from some 14,000 abandoned mine shafts, 70 million tons of mine tailings, and 36 million tons of mill sand and sludge remained as a huge environmental cleanup problem.

The ground beneath Picher was riddled with voids, and nobody knew which spot would give way next.

An EF4 Tornado Killed Six in 2008

On May 10, 2008, Picher was struck by an EF4 tornado. Six people were killed, and at least 150 others were injured in Picher alone.

The tornado caused catastrophic damage along a 20-block stretch of the town. Many homes and businesses were destroyed or flattened.

For a town already staggering under toxic contamination and unstable ground, the tornado was the final blow.

The Government Paid Everyone to Leave

Given the existing plan to vacate the city, the federal government decided against aid to rebuild homes, and the buyouts continued as previously scheduled.

By June 29, 2009, all of the residents had been given federal checks to enable them to relocate from Picher permanently.

On September 1, 2009, the state of Oklahoma officially disincorporated the city of Picher, which ceased official operations on that day.

The population plummeted from 1,640 at the 2000 census to 20 at the 2

The Last Man Standing Died in 2015

Gary Linderman was a pharmacist and the owner of the Ole Miners Pharmacy in Picher. Despite the loss of the town, Gary was resilient in keeping his pharmacy open for his many loyal customers.

To people outside the ghost town, Gary Linderman was the pharmacist who refused to leave. He was known as “the last man standing” as most residents left the one-time mining boomtown.

He passed away at his home on Saturday, June 6, 2015, after a sudden illness at age 60.

The Mining Museum Burned Down That Same Year

One of the last vacant buildings, which had housed the former Picher Mining Field Museum, was destroyed by arson in April 2015. Its historical archives had previously been sent to Pittsburg State University, and other artifacts were sent to the Baxter Springs, Kansas Heritage Center and Museum.

In March 2017, the often-photographed Christian church, which was originally a one-room schoolhouse, was also destroyed by fire.

The landmarks that defined Picher keep disappearing, one by one.

Cleanup Will Take Decades and Cost Hundreds of Millions

Since taking over remediation duties from the EPA in 2016, the Oklahoma DEQ has made tangible strides, with more than 650 properties tested and 125 remediated from contamination.

But with over 13,000 residential lots in the county, the work is far from done.

Cleanup of over 30 million tons of chat is continuing at the Tar Creek Superfund site. In 2021, Tar Creek was listed by American Rivers as one of the ten most endangered rivers in the United States due to contamination from this Superfund Site.

Explore Picher Mining History in Miami, Oklahoma

If you want to understand what Picher was before it became a ghost town, the Dobson Museum in Miami, Oklahoma (about 8 miles south) holds artifacts from the Picher Mining Field.

The museum hosts historical items, including an area mining display, Native American artifacts, and displays of furniture and toys used by the first settlers.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The main museum and home are typically located at 110 A S.W. and 106 A Street SW, respectively. However, the museum is currently operating from its annex location due to renovations, located at 23 N Main St, Miami, OK 74354.

You can still drive through Picher itself on Highway 69, but most side roads are closed due to sinkholes and chat contamination.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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