Editing Picher, Oklahoma (section)

=== 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>