I visited Picher Oklahoma, located in the northeastern part of the state, but what I found there was deeply troubling. The area is designated as a Superfund Site, making it one of the most contaminated places in the United States. Massive mounds of discarded mining gravel, known as “chat,” loom hundreds of feet high right next to city streets. These piles are filled with lead and zinc, which have seeped into the groundwater and the nearby Tar Creek, while the dust from these heaps blows around town during windy days.
Despite its bleak condition, Picher has a rich history that dates back to 1918 when the area’s lead mines played a crucial role in supplying over 50% of the lead and zinc used during both World Wars, contributing significantly to the war effort. However, by the 1960s, the mines had ceased operations, leaving behind vast quantities of chat dirt, ominously watching over the town.
Tragically, newspaper reports shed light on the town’s residents suffering from unusual cancers, and children showing signs of lead poisoning with subpar academic performance. As time passed, the water became contaminated, and the once pristine Tar Creek turned red due to the continuous leaching of zinc and lead from the chat piles. Families lived in close proximity to these hazardous piles, and even the school’s track team trained by sprinting up and down the hills of chat. To add to the predicament, the people had to consume water with dangerously high lead levels.
Thankfully, in the 1980s, the federal government intervened, purchasing the land and initiating a cleanup under the Superfund program. While some residents were offered buyouts by the government, many chose to stay, displaying their deep attachment to the place despite the dire conditions. Sadly, the situation took an even more devastating turn when a tornado struck in 2008, forcing the remaining residents to abandon the town, transforming it into a ghost town.
Today, only a handful of people remain in the area, and the cleanup efforts persist, trying to restore some semblance of safety to the land that once served as a critical hub during the world wars.