PICHER OK

36°58′58″N 

94°49′58″W

Picher on my mind. 

Picher was 1 of 2 areas I had read about long ago and influenced all of my research for much of this project. It is 1 of 3 places in the United States that is a “modern-day” ghost town or has been completely evacuated due to pollution. Like Disney without the entry fee, cars moved quickly through overgrown streets with passengers taking in the surreal landscape.

In short, it was like many areas I have visited but harder to decide the actual size of the town.  Trees and plants have taken over old town roads. Life feels old and new. A a beauty existed of the earth healing and remediating a shit ton of hellish mining tailings.

In 1996 a study found 34 % of Picher, Oklahoma’s children had lead poisoning leading to evacuation of the town and an eminent domain declaration by the EPA. Picher was a major national center for zinc and lead mining, but years of unregulated mining left the town’s infrastructure failing, contaminated, and put the health of its citizens at serious risk of illness. As of 2011 only 6 homes and 1 business remain of those who refuse to leave including the owner of Old Miner’s Pharmacy. The rest of the town has been set to be demolished.