Editing Picher, Oklahoma (section)

==History==

=== Mining origins ===
In 1913, as the [[Tri-State district]] expanded, lead and zinc were discovered on Harry Crawfish's claim, and mining began. A townsite developed overnight around the new workings and was named Picher in honor of O. S. Picher, owner of [[Eagle-Picher|Picher Lead Company]]. The city was incorporated in 1918, and by 1920, Picher had a population of 9,726. Peak population occurred in 1926 with 14,252 residents.<ref name="OSU">{{cite web |title=Tri-State Lead and Zinc District &#124; The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture |url=https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TR014 |website=www.okhistory.org}}</ref>

The Picher area became the most productive lead-zinc mining field in the Tri-State district, producing over $20 billion worth of ore between 1917 and 1947. More than fifty percent of the lead and zinc used during [[World War I]] was extracted from the Picher district. At its peak more than 14,000 miners worked the mines and another 4,000 worked in mining services. Many workers commuted by an extensive [[interurban]] [[Northeast Oklahoma Railroad|trolley system]] from as far away as [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]] and [[Carthage, Missouri]].<ref name="OSU" />

=== Decline and pollution problems ===
The population entered a steady decline after the peak in 1926 due to the decrease in mining activity, leaving Picher with only 2,553 by 1960.<ref name="OSU" /> Mining ceased in 1967 and water pumping from the mines ceased. The contaminated water from 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.<ref name="OSU" /> As a result of national legislation to identify and remediate such environmentally hazardous sites, in 1983 the area was designated as part of the Tar Creek Superfund site, along with the similarly contaminated satellite towns of [[Treece, Kansas]], and [[Cardin, Oklahoma]].

In 1994, [[Indian Health Service]] test results concerning the blood lead levels of Indian children living on the Site indicated that approximately 35 percent of the children tested had concentrations of lead in their blood exceeding 10 micrograms per deciliter, the level of lead in the blood the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|Centers for Disease Control]] considers to be a health concern. In August 1994, to address the threat of lead exposure to children, EPA began sampling soils at high-access areas, such as day cares, schoolyards, and other areas where children congregate. The sampling detected significant concentrations of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals in surface soils.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} Eventually, the EPA and the state of Oklahoma agreed to a mandatory [[Emergency evacuation|evacuation]] and buyout of the entire township.

While some remediation took place in the following quarter century, contamination and other environmental hazards were found to be so severe that the government decided to close Picher and relocate its residents, as reported on April 24, 2006, by [[Reuters]]. Due in large part to the removal of large amounts of subsurface material during mining operations, many of the city's structures have been deemed in imminent danger of caving in.<ref name="GillamC-2006-04-24">Gillam, Carey. - [https://web.archive.org/web/20080514234517/http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=naturalResources&storyID=nN23131359&from=business "FEATURE-Slow death consumes Oklahoma mining town"] - [[Reuters]] - April 24, 2006</ref>

===Tornado===
{{Main|2008 Picher–Neosho tornado}}
On May 10, 2008, Picher was struck by an [[EF4]] [[tornado]].<ref name=":0" /> There were six confirmed deaths, possibly including one child, and many other people injured. The tornado first touched down near the [[Kansas]]–Oklahoma border in Oklahoma southwest of [[Chetopa, Kansas]], and tracked eastward. It struck Picher, causing extensive damage to 20 blocks of the city, with houses and businesses destroyed or flattened.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |publisher=KTUL| access-date=2008-05-11 | url=http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0508/518665.html| title=Six Dead, 150 Injured After Tornado Levels Town Of Picher |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080514113249/http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0508/518665.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-05-14}}</ref> At least 150 people were injured in Picher alone. The tornado continued eastward, passing just north of [[Quapaw, Oklahoma|Quapaw]] and [[Peoria, Oklahoma|Peoria]] before crossing [[Interstate 44]] into [[Missouri]]. [[Governor of Oklahoma|Oklahoma Governor]] [[Brad Henry]] sent [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] troops as well as emergency personnel to assist the hardest hit area in Picher.<ref name="KOTV-2008-05-12">[http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=8306515&nav=menu682_2 "Tornado Death Toll Increases In Picher"]. - KOTV.com - May 12, 2008</ref> Loss of power from the tornado forced the city to go on a boiled water notice. Staff from the [[Rural Water|Oklahoma Rural Water Association]] arrived to assist, since the utility's testing equipment was destroyed by the storm. With an emergency generator to supply power, rural water staff had the system running normally only two days after the tornado struck.<ref>{{cite web |year=2008 |title=Rural Water assists Picher after tornado strikes |url=http://nrwa.org/NRWAupdates/2008%2006%20June/Picher%20Tornado.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102181711/http://nrwa.org/NRWAupdates/2008%2006%20June/Picher%20Tornado.htm |archive-date=2011-01-02 |access-date=2008-05-23 |publisher=[[National Rural Water Association]]}}</ref>

Given the existing plan to vacate the city, the federal government decided against aid to rebuild homes, and the buyouts continued as previously scheduled, with people being assisted in relocation.<ref name="EvansM-AP-2008-05-13">Evans, Murry. - Weather: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140806133648/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24603128/ "Rebuilding unlikely in Okla. town"]. - [[Associated Press]]. - (c/o NBC News) - May 13, 2008</ref>

=== Closure ===
The city's [[post office]] was scheduled to close in July 2009, and the city ceased operations as a municipality on September 1, 2009.<ref>Sheila Stogsdill, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090623_11_A1_PICHER590927 "Picher projects its end as official municipality"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', June 23, 2009.</ref> By June 29, 2009, all of the residents had been given federal checks to enable them to relocate from Picher permanently. The city is considered to be too toxic to be habitable. On the last day, all the final residents met at the school auditorium to say goodbye.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/30/oklahoma.toxic.town/index.html#cnnSTCText | work=CNN | title='Last man standing' at wake for a toxic town - CNN.com | access-date=May 22, 2010 | date=June 30, 2009}}</ref> As of November 2010, it was reported that Picher still had "one business and six occupied houses."<ref name="zero">Sheila Stogsdill, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20101117_12_A1_ULNSiu895664 "Cardin population drops to 0 as buyout completed"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', November 17, 2010.</ref>

Starting in January 2011, almost all remaining commercial structures were scheduled to be demolished. Gary Linderman, owner of the Ole Miners Pharmacy, said he would stay until the last resident left.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/video/crews-set-demolish-final-picher-173500123.html|title=Crews Set To Demolish Final Picher Buildings|website=news.yahoo.com|date=January 25, 2011 }}</ref>

The municipality of Picher was officially dissolved on November 26, 2013.<ref>[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/12/04/Two-Oklahoma-towns-officially-dissolved-after-federal-buyout/UPI-21531386187942/][[UPI]], December 4, 2013.</ref> By March 2014, standing abandoned buildings included the Picher-Cardin High School building, a Christian church, the mining museum, and a handful of mercantile buildings, as well as numerous abandoned houses.

[[Image:Pichermuseum.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A large gray building serving as a museum.|The former Tri State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association Office was on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], 2008.<ref>Oklahoma State Historical Society National Register Listing, http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/P/PI002.html</ref> The building was destroyed by arson in April 2015.<ref name="fire">[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state/fire-destroys-picher-mining-field-museum/article_9653dffb-db99-57c4-a644-30bc86ff9102.html Stogsdill, Linda. "Fire destroys Picher Mining Field Museum." ''Tulsa World''. April 26, 2015.] Accessed December 25, 2015.</ref>]]

The Picher Mining Field Museum, which had been housed in the former Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association building, was destroyed by arson in April 2015. The museum archives had previously been sent to [[Pittsburg State University]], and other artifacts had been sent to the [[Baxter Springs, Kansas]] Heritage Center and Museum.<ref name="fire"/> In March 2017 the often-photographed Christian church, which was originally a one-room schoolhouse, was also destroyed by fire.

Gary Linderman, owner of the Ole Miners Pharmacy, was featured in the May 28, 2007, issue of ''[[People Magazine|People]]'' magazine in the ''Heroes Among Us'' article: "Prescription for Kindness". He vowed to stay as long as there was anyone left who needed him and to be the last one out of the city.<ref name=People-2007-05-28>Heroes Among Us: "Prescription for Kindness" - ''People Magazine'' - May 28, 2007</ref> He died on June 9, 2015, at the age of 60 from a sudden illness.<ref name='linderman_latimes'>{{cite web| url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-ln-gary-linderman-dies-last-man-standing-in-toxic-town-60-20150610-story.html| title=Gary Linderman dies at 60; 'last man standing' in toxic Oklahoma town| last=Marble| first=Steve| date=June 10, 2015| website=[[Los Angeles Times]]| access-date=June 12, 2015| quote="Linderman, the owner and proprietor of the Ole Miner Pharmacy, came to be known as "the last man standing" or "Lights Out Linderman" for his pledge to stay, or at least turn off the lights if he were to leave town. Linderman died Saturday at his home due to a "sudden illness," according to the Thomas Funeral Home in nearby Welch. He was 60."}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the cleanup continues. 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 the cleanup of the Tar Creek Superfund site. The EPA indicated while great progress had been made, much work was yet to be done, and the Plan was a commitment to accelerate the cleanup.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-final-tar-creek-strategic-plan-improve-cleanup-progress |title=EPA Releases Final Tar Creek Strategic Plan to Improve Cleanup Progress|date=17 September 2019 |publisher=United States Environmental Protection Agency|access-date=July 25, 2020}}</ref>

Since 2015, former residents have held Christmas parades in Picher.<ref>Nielsen, C. (12/05/2019). "Picher comes back to life for Christmas parade" The Miami News-Record. https://www.miamiok.com/news/20191205/picher-comes-back-to-life-for-christmas-parade</ref>