Picher

Picher, Oklahoma, located in Ottawa County, was once a major lead and zinc mining center in the Tri-State Mining District for over a century.

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Picher, Oklahoma, located in Ottawa County, was once a major lead and zinc mining center in the Tri-State Mining District for over a century.

Years of uncontrolled subsurface excavation weakened the ground beneath the town and left massive piles of mine tailings, known as chat, scattered throughout the area. These conditions created risks of cave-ins, contaminated the groundwater, and exposed residents to health hazards from the toxic metals in the chat piles and shafts. In 1983, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the area as part of the Tar Creek Superfund site.

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History

In 1913, as the Tri-State district expanded, lead and zinc were discovered on Harry Crawfish’s claim, leading to the start of mining. ¹ A settlement quickly formed around the new workings and was named Picher, after O. S. Picher, owner of the Picher Lead Company. The town was incorporated in 1918, and by 1920, it had a population of 9,726. Picher reached its peak population in 1926 with 14,252 residents.

Between 1917 and 1947, the Picher district became the most productive lead-zinc mining field in the Tri-State area, generating more than $20 billion worth of ore. ¹ It supplied over 50% of the nation’s lead and zinc during World War I. More than 14,000 miners worked underground at its height, with an additional 4,000 employed in mining services. Many commuted to the town by way of an extensive interurban trolley network that reached as far as Joplin and Carthage, Missouri.

Decline

After reaching its peak in 1926, Picher’s population declined steadily as mining activity decreased, falling to 2,553 by 1960. ¹ Mining operations ended in 1967, and water pumping from the mines ceased. Contaminated water from 14,000 abandoned mine shafts, along with 70 million tons of mine tailings and 36 million tons of mill sand and sludge, created a major environmental problem. In 1983, under new federal legislation addressing hazardous sites, the EPA designated the area as part of the Tar Creek Superfund site, along with the nearby contaminated towns of Treece, Kansas, and Cardin, Oklahoma.

In 1994, testing by the Indian Health Service revealed that about 34% of Native American children living on the site had blood lead levels exceeding 10 micrograms per deciliter, the CDC’s threshold for concern. ² That August, the EPA began sampling soils in high-access areas such as daycares, schoolyards, and playgrounds, finding high levels of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. Eventually, the EPA and the state of Oklahoma ordered a mandatory evacuation and buyout of the town.

Despite some cleanup efforts in the following decades, the extent of contamination and structural hazards made relocation unavoidable. Subsidence from past mining left many buildings in danger of collapse; a 2006 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study determined that 86% of Picher’s buildings were undermined and could fail at any time. ^{3 4}

On May 10, 2008, an EF4 tornado struck Picher, killing six people. ^{5 6} Given the existing evacuation plan, the federal government declined to fund rebuilding, and buyouts proceeded. ⁷ By June 29, 2009, all residents had received relocation payments. ⁸ The post office closed in July, and the city formally ceased operations as a municipality on September 1. The last residents gathered in the school auditorium on that final day to say farewell. ⁹

In January 2011, demolition of nearly all remaining commercial structures began. Gary Linderman, owner of the Ole Miners Pharmacy, vowed to remain until the last resident left; he died in 2015. ^{10 11} The municipality of Picher was officially dissolved on November 26, 2013. ¹² The Picher Mining Field Museum, housed in the former Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association building, was destroyed by arson in April 2015. ¹³ Its archives had already been transferred to Pittsburg State University, and the remaining artifacts were sent to the Baxter Springs Heritage Center & Museum in Kansas.

Cleanup efforts continued. On September 17, 2019, the EPA, in cooperation with the state of Oklahoma and the Quapaw Nation, released the Final Tar Creek Strategic Plan to advance remediation of the Superfund site. While noting progress, the EPA emphasized that much work remained and pledged to accelerate cleanup. ¹⁴

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Gallery

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Sources

1. Everett, Dianna. “The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.” Oklahoma Historical Society, 15 Jan. 2010.
2. Saulny, Susan. “Welcome to Our Town. Wish We Weren’t Here.” New York Times, 13 Sept. 2009.
3. “Picher Mining Field, Northeast Oklahoma Subsidence Evaluation Report.” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jan. 2006.
4. Gillam, Carey.  “Slow death consumes Oklahoma mining town.” Reuters, 24 Apr. 2006.
5. “May 10, 2008 Severe Weather Outbreak Picher Tornado.” National Weather Service, 10 May 2008.
6. “Six Dead, 150 Injured After Tornado Levels Town Of Picher.” KTUL, 12 May 2008.
7. Evans, Murry. “Rebuilding unlikely in Okla. town.” Associated Press, 13 May 2008.
8. Sheila Stogsdill, “Picher projects its end as official municipality.” Tulsa World, 23 Jun. 2009.
9. “‘Last man standing’ at wake for a toxic town.” CNN, 30 Jun. 2009.
10. “Prescription for Kindness.” People Magazine, 28 May 2007.
11. Marble, Steve. “Gary Linderman dies at 60; ‘last man standing’ in toxic Oklahoma town.” Los Angeles Times, 10 Jun. 2015.
12. “Two Oklahoma towns officially dissolved after federal buyout.” UPI, 4 Dec. 2013.
13. Stogsdill, Linda. “Fire destroys Picher Mining Field Museum.” Tulsa World, 26 Apr. 2015.
14. “EPA Releases Final Tar Creek Strategic Plan to Improve Cleanup Progress.” United States Environmental Protection Agency, 17 Sept. 2019.