Editing Treece, Kansas

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Short description|Ghost town in Cherokee County, Kansas}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Treece, Kansas
|settlement_type          = [[List of ghost towns in Kansas|Ghost town]]

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = File:Treece KS.jpg
|image_caption            = Treece (2016)

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Cherokee_County_Kansas_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Treece_Highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location within [[Cherokee County, Kansas|Cherokee County]] and [[Kansas]]
|image_map1               = Map of Cherokee Co, Ks, USA.png
|map_caption1             = [[Kansas Department of Transportation|KDOT]] map of [[Cherokee County, Kansas|Cherokee County]] ([[:File:Kansas official transportation map legend.png|legend]])

<!-- Location -->
|coordinates_footnotes    = <ref name="GNIS"/>
|coordinates              = {{coord|37|0|3|N|94|50|36|W|region:US-KS_type:city_source:GNIS|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Kansas]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Kansas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Cherokee County, Kansas|Cherokee]]
|subdivision_type3        = [[List of townships in Kansas|Township]]
|subdivision_name3        =

<!-- Established -->
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1910s
|established_title1       = [[Platted]]
|established_date1        =
|established_title2       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2        =
|extinct_title            = Disincorporated 
|extinct_date             = 2012<ref name="disin"/>
|named_for                =

<!-- Area -->
|area_footnotes           =
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.1
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.1
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0
|area_total_km2           = 0.2
|area_land_km2            = 0.2
|area_water_km2           = 0.0
|unit_pref                = Imperial

<!-- Elevation -->
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GNIS"/>
|elevation_ft             = 840

<!-- Population -->
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census2010">{{cite web|title=2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=June 19, 2011}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|population_as_of         = [[2010 United States Census|2010]]
|population_total         = 138
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name=NYTLead /><ref name="TimBusbyObit">[http://www.paulthomasfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Timothy-Wayne-Red-Busby?obId=1058078 Timothy Busby Obituary, 2016.]</ref>
|pop_est_as_of            = 2016
|population_est           = 1
|population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 66778<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/66778|title=Treece ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2022|access-date=November 30, 2022}}</ref>
|area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
|area_code                = [[Area code 620|620]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 20-71350 <ref name="GNIS"/>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS ID]]
|blank1_info              = 469375 <ref name="GNIS">{{cite gnis2|469375|Treece, Kansas}}</ref>
|website                  =
}}

'''Treece''' is a [[ghost town]] in [[Cherokee County, Kansas|Cherokee County]], [[Kansas]], United States,<ref name="GNIS"/> and part of the historic [[Tri-State district|Tri-State Mining District]].  As of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]], the city population was 138.<ref name="Census2010"/>  As of May 2012 the city was abandoned and most buildings and other facilities demolished due to pervasive problems with lead pollution resulting from past mining.  Two people who had refused an [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) buyout remained in 2012,<ref name=NYTLead>{{cite news|title=Last Ones Left in a Toxic Town |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/magazine/last-ones-left-in-treece-kan-a-toxic-town.html|access-date= May 16, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2012|author=Wes Enzinna}}</ref> one of whom died in 2016.<ref name="TimBusbyObit"/>

==History==
Treece and neighboring former cities [[Picher, Oklahoma|Picher]], [[Cardin, Oklahoma|Cardin]] and [[Douthat, Oklahoma|Douthat]] were formed as a result of mining operations in the early 20th century. Realtor J. O. Treece lent the town his name.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=5078 | title=Profile for Treece, Kansas | publisher=[[ePodunk]] | access-date=6 June 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714143912/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=5078 | archive-date=14 July 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The first post office in Treece was established in 1917.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kshs.org/geog/geog_postoffices/search/page:2/county:CK/sort:date_established/direction:asc | title=Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961, page 2 | publisher=Kansas Historical Society | access-date=2 August 2014}}</ref> Treece was a major supplier of [[lead]], [[zinc]], and [[iron ore]]. During its maximum production, Treece and Picher combined had a population of over 20,000 and produced $20 billion worth of ore mainly during [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]. After the 1970s, ore production declined rapidly as did the city's population.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/us/14kansas.html?no_interstitial | work=The New York Times | title=Welcome to Our Town. Wish We Weren't Here | first=Susan | last=Saulny | date=September 14, 2009 | access-date=May 26, 2010}}</ref> In 1981 the Environmental Protection Agency deemed the Tri-State Mining District as contaminated and promised to take actions to clean up the area.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kirby |first=Bob |date=July 2006 |title=Scared for life: Treece, Kan. seeks buyout, closing of town |url=https://krwa.net/portals/krwa/lifeline/currentissue/0607_032.pdf |journal=The Kansas Lifeline |page=33 |pages=}}</ref>

The cleanup of Tri-State Mining District lands was divided for EPA purposes into a total of four National Priority List (NPL) [[Superfund]] Sites: the Cherokee County Site, Cherokee County, Kansas; the Orongo-Duenweg Site, Jasper County, Missouri; the Newton County Mine Tailings Site, Newton County, Missouri; and the Tar Creek Site, Ottawa County, Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0601269#bkground |title= Superfund Site: Tar Creek (Ottawa County), Ottawa County, OK, Cleanup Activities| publisher= United States Environmental Protection Agency|access-date=July 25, 2020}}</ref>  The Cherokee County Superfund Site was in turn divided into seven subsites that were grouped and divided into nine operable units (OUs).  The area around Treece was designated OU4.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0700667#bkground |title= Superfund Site: Cherokee County, Galena, KS, Cleanup Activities|publisher= United States Environmental Protection Agency|access-date=July 25, 2020}}</ref>  Thus, while Treece is located less than a mile north of [[Picher, Oklahoma]], a town which was closed due to lead pollution, Treece was located at a different Superfund site.  Picher's  residents' property was bought out by the [[Environmental Protection Agency]].  Residents of Treece also demanded a buy-out, but at first were not certain of receiving one.<ref>{{cite news 
  | title =Polluted Kansas Town Seeks Federal Buyout
  | work =[[All things considered]]  | publisher =[[National Public Radio]]
  | date =August 25, 2009
  | url =https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112215626
  | access-date =August 25, 2009  }}</ref>
As of September 2009, it was reported that the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] wanted to clean up the soil in Treece, instead of moving its residents away.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/us/14kansas.html?hp Treece Journal: Welcome to Our Town. Wish We Weren’t Here]. SUSAN SAULNY, The New York Times, September 13, 2009</ref>  [[U.S. Congress|Congress]], however, passed an environmental appropriations bill on October 29, 2009, that authorized the EPA to buy out the town.<ref>{{cite news | last = Lefler | first = Dion | title = Congress approves buyouts for Treece | newspaper = [[The Wichita Eagle]] | date = October 30, 2009 | url = http://www.kansas.com/news/state/story/1033610.html | access-date = October 30, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091102045357/http://www.kansas.com/news/state/story/1033610.html | archive-date = November 2, 2009 | url-status = dead }}</ref>  Residents had until August 31, 2010 to apply for a Federal buyout<ref>{{cite news | title= Aug. 31 buyout application deadline set for residents |newspaper= [[The Lawrence Journal-World]] |date= August 3, 2010 |url= http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/aug/03/aug-31-buyout-application-deadline-set-residents/ |access-date= November 17, 2010}}</ref> and offers were to be made to the 80 residents who applied in December.<ref>[http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1507935264/Treece-buyout-offers-to-start-next-month Treece buyout offers to start next month]. Staff reports, The Joplin Globe, November 5, 2010</ref> As of May 2, 2012 only one couple had rejected the buyout offer and remained in Treece living in a double-wide trailer. Other than their location all other facilities in the former city have been sold, moved, or demolished.<ref name=NYTLead />

In 2012, the State of Kansas officially disincorporated the city of Treece.<ref name="disin">{{cite news | url= http://www.kansas.com/2012/09/27/2506628/former-residents-say-goodbye-to.html | title= Former residents say goodbye to contaminated town of Treece | newspaper= The Wichita Eagle | date= September 27, 2012 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120930014929/http://www.kansas.com/2012/09/27/2506628/former-residents-say-goodbye-to.html | archive-date= September 30, 2012 }}</ref>

== Contamination ==
Treece, Kansas was deemed as uninhabitable and contaminated by the Environmental Protection Agency because of the large [[Chat (mining)|chat]] piles and leftover mine [[tailings]] that still exist in the abandoned town today. Wes Enzinna, a writer for The New York Times, visited Treece in 2010 and interviewed some of the remaining residents. They claimed that years before Treece was ruled contaminated by the [[Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]], children who swam in the local [[Tar Creek Superfund site]] would end up with chemical burns (superficially resembling [[sunburn]]) all over their bodies.<ref name="NYTLead" />

The reason that the chat piles and mine tailings are so dangerous is because of the high amount of lead that is still left in the rock. While short-term exposure to lead will not necessarily harm a person, if one is exposed for long periods of time, which the people living in Treece were, it can result in [[high blood pressure]], [[heart disease]], [[kidney disease]], and reduced fertility.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-09 |title=Lead: Health Problems Caused by Lead {{!}} NIOSH {{!}} CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=www.cdc.gov |language=en-us}}</ref> No studies have been done to determine the effects that the toxic environment left on the health of former residents of Treece, Kansas.

Some of the chat piles in Treece are up to {{cvt|200|ft|m}} tall and the dust that is blown off from these piles “still contains enough metal to make blood-lead levels among young children here three times higher than the national average”.<ref name="NYTLead" /> The residents of Treece had been dealing and living with dangerous amounts of toxic waste in their backyards for 50–60 years before anything was done to clean up the area. 

When the mining companies stopped mining, they shut off the water pumps that kept the mines from flooding. When the floodwater traveled through the mining tunnels, it picked up all the leftover traces of minerals that were left behind. The water then found its way into the local Tar Creek and other streams, contaminating the water and ruining the habitat of the local wildlife.<ref name="NYTLead" /> 

It is important to add that Tar Creek runs through Treece and many other towns in the area that faced the same issues as Treece.

==Geography==
Treece is located in southeastern Kansas, adjacent to the Kansas-Oklahoma border just west of [[U.S. Route 69 in Kansas|U.S. Route 69]]. [[Picher, Oklahoma]] lies one mile to the south.<ref>''Picher, OK,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1961 (1982 rev.)</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city had a total area of {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|deleted=yes
|align-fn=center
|align=right
|1930=749
|1940=568
|1950=378
|1960=280
|1970=225
|1980=194
|1990=172
|2000=149
|2010=138
|estyear=2016
|estimate=1
|estref=
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census], [http://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/census/2000/city00.pdf Census 2000]
}}

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2000,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> there were 149 people, 59 households, and 37 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,134.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 66 housing units at an average density of {{convert|945.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 85.91% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 7.38% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.01% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], and 4.70% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 59 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $28,125. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $33,125 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $10,122. There were 20.0% of families and 26.4% of the population living below the [[poverty line]], including 40.5% of under eighteens and 19.0% of those over 64.

===2010s===
As of May 2012, one couple who had rejected an EPA buyout offer remained in Treece.<ref name=NYTLead />

On August 30, 2016, Timothy Busby, one of the two remaining Treece residents, died at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife, Della Busby, who lived with him in Treece until his death, as well as their three grown children and other relatives.

==See also==
* [[List of Superfund sites in Kansas]]
Next door communities that were also closed down and razed:
* [[Picher, Oklahoma]]
* [[Cardin, Oklahoma]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Cherokee County, Kansas#Further reading|Kansas#Bibliography|l1=List of books about Cherokee County, Kansas|l2=List of books about State of Kansas}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120402144857/http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/16/1271576/epa-officially-notifies-treece.html EPA officially notifies Treece of buyout], The Wichita Eagle
* [http://watch.ktwu.org/video/2365124638/ "Mined Lands" video], KTWU
* [https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/mining-town-minerals/15118 Mining Town Minerals], Kansas Historical Society
* Cherokee County maps: [https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/cherokee.PDF Current], [https://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/maps/PastPublishedCounty.asp Historic], KDOT

{{Cherokee County, Kansas}}
{{Kansas}}

[[Category:Ghost towns in Kansas]]
[[Category:Environmental disaster ghost towns]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Cherokee County, Kansas]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in 2009]]
[[Category:Former municipalities in Kansas]]