Since, as I recall, Ted gets his list in digest form, I hope he
doesn't mind if I reply, as it may be a little while before he gets the
question. And I hope you won't think I'm being presumptuous.
The reason they're being torn down is because the town has been declared
an environmental catastrophe and one of the most toxic towns in the US.
It was an old lead and zinc mining town from the late 1800's through the
late 1900's, and due to the mining activity, a lot of the toxins used in
the processing of the ore started to leech into the water table -- so
much so that at times the creeks that ran through the town would turn a
blood red color.
Also, there are these massive piles of mine trailings (essentially
pulverized stone and grit) probably 60 - 70 meters high that are
contaminated as well, and they're scattered in different places in,
essentially, the heart of the town. When the winds pick up -- which is
pretty often in Oklahoma -- that stuff blows all over the place. And,
then, there are sink holes (which I didn't get to see, though I did see
some houses that looked to be sinking) here and there caused by
subsidence, where the mining has compromised the surface. I've seen one
picture of a sink hole that was wide enough to swallow a good-sized
building.
And, as if all that weren't enough, as the town was slowly being
vacated, it was hit with a HUGE tornado.
I did a little bit of a write-up with some of the photos I took while I
was there -- which you can check out here if you're so inclined:
http://waltgilbert.posterous.com/picher-oklahoma-americas-newest-ghost-town
It's just a terrible, sad story -- but an endlessly fascinating place.
For now.
-- Walt
On 3/2/2011 11:00 PM, David Mann wrote:
On Mar 3, 2011, at 9:50 AM, Theodore Beilby wrote:
Last Sat. the PSNWA made a trip to Picher, OK. This will probably be about the
last trip I make there, all buildings are scheduled to be demolished by the end
of March. Walter, many of the buildings we shot when we went are now gone.
Nice photos. Why are the buildings being demolished?
Someone's getting into trouble here as a historic church has been demolished
without the proper paperwork. I actually went past it last week and I'm glad I
had the chance to see it one last time.
Dave
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