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52-521: Picher may refer to the following two places: Picher, Oklahoma , a former city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Picher, Germany , a municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

104-688: A few miles north caused Miami to boom. In 1907, at the time of statehood, its population was 1,893. As mining increased and more mills were built, the population more than tripled to 6,802 by 1920. Miami was on the route of the Jefferson Highway established in 1915, with that international road running more than 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from Winnipeg , Manitoba in Canada across the border and to New Orleans , Louisiana. US Route 66 in Oklahoma also passed through Miami. An historic section of

156-571: A handful of holdouts still resides and watches over what is left of the town. Police investigating the Welch, Oklahoma murders of Danny and Kathy Freemen and the murders of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman filed charges containing statements from numerous witnesses and alleged accomplices who stated they had heard rumors that Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman were in a pit or mineshaft in Picher, or had been threatened by Warren Philip Welch, lead suspect in

208-690: A mascot by any other school in the United States. A portion of northern Miami is within the Commerce Public Schools school district. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College was accredited initially in 1925 by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools . In addition to its certificate programs, it has working relationships with other higher education institutions in the state to promote transfers of students seeking four-year college degrees. In 2015

260-638: A population of 9,726. Peak population occurred in 1926 with 14,252 residents. 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 trolley system from as far away as Joplin and Carthage, Missouri . The population entered

312-478: A steady decline after the peak in 1926 due to the decrease in mining activity, leaving Picher with only 2,553 by 1960. 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. As a result of national legislation to identify and remediate such environmentally hazardous sites, in 1983

364-576: Is available from Joplin Regional Airport, about 34 miles (55 km) northeast, or Tulsa International Airport, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest. Miami and Ottawa County, together with nearby Delaware County, Oklahoma to the south, attract numerous tourists to the state. These counties combined make up the third-largest tourism destination in the state, following only the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas. Miami

416-724: Is home to the historic Coleman Theatre, located at 103 N. Main St. On April 18, 1929, the 1,600-seat Coleman Theatre enjoyed a grand opening as a luxurious movie theater of the time. Designed by the Boller Bros. , and built by George L. Coleman Sr. at a cost of $ 600,000, the Louis XV interior includes gold leaf trim, silk damask panels, stained glass panels, marble accents, a carved mahogany staircase, Wurlitzer pipe organ, decorative plaster moldings, and bronze railings. While there have been many changes to seeing movies in grand theaters,

468-614: Is located on the Neosho River , and was severely affected by the Great Flood of 1951 . The town has flooded more than two dozen times since the 1990s, most recently during the 2019 Arkansas River floods . Town residents and neighboring Native American groups have objected to maintaining high water levels on the river at Pensacola Dam and its popular vacation area, Grand Lake , on the grounds that when water backs up downstream, it can increase Miami's flooding problems. As of

520-780: Is named; the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma , the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma , the Peoria Tribe of Indians , and the Shawnee Tribe . As of the 2020 census , the population was 12,969. The city was founded in an unusual way, compared to other towns established in Indian Territory . Per the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture "... it was settled in a business-like way by men of vision who looked into

572-503: Is on Interstate 44 and U.S. Route 69 , and is approximately two miles (3.2 km) from U.S. Route 59 . Pelivan Transit, owned and operated by Grand Gateway EDA & Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Transit Consortium, provides a trolley loop in Miami, as well as certain on-demand bus services. Miami is served by Miami Regional Airport (KMIO; FAA Identifier MIO), with a 5,020-foot (1,530 m) paved runway. Commercial air transportation

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624-685: The Baxter Springs, Kansas Heritage Center and Museum. 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 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

676-683: The PBS Independent Lens film The Creek Runs Red, which discussed the connection of the people and their desire to leave or stay in the city. Picher was also featured in the Jump the Fence Productions film titled Tar Creek (2009). The film was written, directed, and narrated by Matt Myers. Picher was featured in an episode of Life After People: The Series on the History Channel . The aforementioned tornado

728-522: The Quapaw nation. The show was conceptualized and is being created by Quentin Madia, Lauren Pelaia, and Alex Knezevic, with Knezevic eventually leaving the production on good terms to pursue independent ventures. Prior to the formal creation and writing of the script and music, the production team visited the town of Picher and were toured around by Rebecca Jim. They also interviewed several former citizens of

780-795: The secretary of the United States Department of the Interior to approve the townsite purchase from the Ottawa. Lykins, Richardville and Manford Pooler, chief of the Ottawa, are identified in historical accounts as "fathers of Miami." Lykins' company, the Miami Town Company, bought 588 acres (238 ha) of land from the Ottawa for ten dollars an acre. On June 25–26, 1891 they held an auction of lots. In 1895, Miami incorporated and had more than 800 residents. The discovery of rich deposits of lead and zinc under Quapaw land

832-478: The 2010 census, there were 13,570 people, 5,315 households, and 3,337 families residing in the city. a one percent decline from 13,704 at the 2000 census. The population density was 1,258.7 inhabitants per square mile (486.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 68.9% white , 1.3% African American , 17.1% Native American , 0.5% Asian , 2% Pacific Islander , 2.1% from other races , and 8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race made up 4.8% of

884-519: The EPA and the state of Oklahoma agreed to a mandatory 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

936-453: The EPA and the state of Oklahoma agreed to a mandatory evacuation and buyout of the entire township. A 2006 Army Corps of Engineers study showed 86% of Picher's buildings (including the town school) were badly undermined and subject to collapse at any time. The destruction in May 2008 of 150 homes by an EF4 tornado accelerated the exodus of the remaining population. On September 1, 2009,

988-845: The National Register of Historical Places, including the George L. Coleman Sr. House , the Miami Marathon Oil Company Service Station , and the Miami Downtown Historic District . Public schools serving most of Miami are managed by the Miami Public Schools school district. The high school is Miami High School, whose mascot is the Wardog. The Wardog is a mascot unique to Miami and has not been adopted as

1040-549: The Plan was a commitment to accelerate the cleanup. Since 2015, former residents have held Christmas parades in Picher. Picher is 8 miles (13 km) north of Miami, the county seat. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city had a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km ), all of it land. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,640 people, 621 households, and 417 families residing in

1092-526: The Route 66 roadbed is marked in Miami. It is the capital of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, after which it is named; the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma , Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, Peoria Tribe of Indians , and Shawnee Tribe . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25 km ), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) (0.82%) is covered by water. Miami

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1144-410: The abduction and presumed slayings of the two girls. He admitted having withheld information about the involvement of Warren "Phil" Welch and David Pennington, both of whom have since died without ever having been charged. He was sentenced to 15 years for the crime, with 10 of the years to be spent in lockup. The Oklahoma City sludge metal band, Chat Pile , takes their name from the chat piles in

1196-420: The age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city the population was spread out, with 27.1% under

1248-460: The age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 19,722, and the median income for a family was $ 25,950. Males had a median income of $ 22,321 versus $ 15,947 for females. The per capita income for

1300-550: 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,

1352-672: The building has been preserved and also serves as a venue for live performances. In 1959 a local non-profit community group established the Miami Little Theatre. The community theater group presents five large-scale productions on the Coleman stage every year. In 1983, the Coleman Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historical Places for Ottawa County . Other Miami structures are also listed on

1404-454: The buyouts continued as previously scheduled, with people being assisted in relocation. The city's post office was scheduled to close in July 2009, and the city ceased operations as a municipality on September 1, 2009. 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

1456-577: The chat piles and subsurface shafts resulted in the site being included in 1983 in the Tar Creek Superfund site by the US Environmental Protection Agency . The state collaborated on mitigation and remediation measures, but a 1994 study found that 34% of the children in Picher suffered from lead poisoning due to these environmental effects, which could result in lifelong neurological problems. Eventually,

1508-509: The city to go on a boiled water notice. Staff from the 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. Given the existing plan to vacate the city, the federal government decided against aid to rebuild homes, and

1560-693: The city was $ 10,938. About 21.1% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 30.9% of those age 65 or over. The city was served by the Picher-Cardin Public Schools , which closed in 2009. At that time the municipality was placed in the Quapaw Public Schools . In April 2009, residents voted 55–6 to dissolve the Picher-Cardin school district; it graduated its final class of 11 in May. By 2009

1612-471: The city's structures have been deemed in imminent danger of caving in. On May 10, 2008, Picher was struck by an EF4 tornado . 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

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1664-410: The city, with houses and businesses destroyed or flattened. At least 150 people were injured in Picher alone. The tornado continued eastward, passing just north of Quapaw and Peoria before crossing Interstate 44 into Missouri . Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry sent National Guard troops as well as emergency personnel to assist the hardest hit area in Picher. Loss of power from the tornado forced

1716-412: The city. There is a musical in the process of being created based on the real story of the town. Titled The Picher Project , the story combines real life people, such as Tar Creek waterkeeper Rebecca Jim and Picher-native, and previous Mayor, Orvile "Hoppy" Ray as well as fictional characters based on actual people in order to properly tell the story of the town and the people who lived there, as well as

1768-481: The city. The population density was 734.0 inhabitants per square mile (283.4/km ). There were 708 housing units at an average density of 316.9 per square mile (122.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 77.13% White , 13.78% Native American , 0.18% Pacific Islander , 0.12% Asian , 0.06% from other races , and 8.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population. There were 621 households, out of which 30.9% had children under

1820-513: The college's musical theatre organization performing the most recent version of the script for an invite-only audience. The Picher Project has been featured in multiple news articles, including two from The Joplin Globe , KOAM-TV , Four States News , E & E News , and BroadwayWorld . Miami, Oklahoma This area was part of Indian Territory . Miami is the capital of the federally recognized Miami Tribe of Oklahoma , after which it

1872-461: The crimes, who told them they would "end up in a pit in Picher like those two girls." Their bodies have never been found, though suspected accomplice Ronnie Dean Busick was arrested in April 2018 for his involvement in the crimes. Busick pleaded guilty July 15, 2020 to being an accessory to first-degree murder in the deaths of Danny and Kathy Freeman, the torching of their home near Welch, Oklahoma, and

1924-602: The district's enrollment had dropped to a total of 49 students from approximately 343 students years prior. Remaining students were assigned to attend Commerce and Quapaw school districts. In 1984, the local High school football team, the Gorillas, won the Oklahoma Class A Championship. A statue of a Gorilla was dedicated as the Picher-Cardin Memorial, Home of the Gorillas. Picher was featured in

1976-458: The federally recognized Native American nation by that name), and Miami, Oklahoma . 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 Picher Lead Company . The city was incorporated in 1918, and by 1920, Picher had

2028-514: The future and saw possibilities. It didn't just grow. It was carefully planned." W. C. Lykins petitioned the U.S. Congress to pass legislation on March 3, 1891, to establish the town. He met with Thomas F. Richardville, chief of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma , who agreed to meet in turn with the U.S. Indian Commission and the Ottawa Tribe . That meeting resulted in Congress authorizing

2080-472: The last day, all the final residents met at the school auditorium to say goodbye. As of November 2010, it was reported that Picher still had "one business and six occupied houses." 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. The municipality of Picher

2132-565: The last one out of the city. He died on June 9, 2015, at the age of 60 from a sudden illness. 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

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2184-463: The level of lead in the blood the 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. Eventually,

2236-542: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Picher&oldid=933054798 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Picher, Oklahoma Picher is a ghost town and former city in Ottawa County , northeastern Oklahoma , United States. It

2288-685: The population were below the poverty line. In 2020, about one in four residents lived in poverty. Local government in Miami consists of an elected Mayor at-large and four councilmen representing four Wards. As of 2023, the city is represented in the Oklahoma House of Representatives by Republican Steve Bashore , and in the Oklahoma Senate by Republican Micheal Bergstrom . The city lies within Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district , represented by Josh Brecheen since 2023. Miami

2340-428: The population. There were 5,315 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. Single individuals living alone accounted for 31.9% of households and individuals 65 years of age or older living alone accounted for 14.7% of households. The average household size

2392-846: The rest of the town's buildings were scheduled to be demolished by the end of the year. One of the last vacant buildings, which had housed the former Picher mining museum, was destroyed by arson in April 2015. Its historical archives and artifacts had already been shipped to the Dobson Museum in Miami, Oklahoma by that point. Picher is among a small number of locations in the world (such as Gilman, Colorado ; Centralia, Pennsylvania ; and Wittenoom, Western Australia ) to be evacuated and declared uninhabitable due to environmental and health damage caused by mining. The closest towns to Picher, other than nearby fellow ghost towns Cardin , Treece and Douthat , are Commerce , Quapaw (the headquarters of

2444-424: The state of Oklahoma officially dis-incorporated the city of Picher, which ceased official operations on that day. The population plummeted from 1,640 at the 2000 census to 20 at the 2010 census . The federal government proceeded to conduct buyouts of remaining properties. As of January 2011, six homes and one business remained, their owners having refused to leave at any price. Except for some historic structures,

2496-409: The town, such as Orville Ray's son. The musical has had workshop performances at Dixon Place, BarnArts, and 54 Below , as well as a virtual performance of a of couple songs using the non-profit theatre company The Dare Tactic to promote the songs and gain feedback on the show. Most recently, on April 30, 2023, Media and Pelaia directed a workshop of the show at The College of New Jersey with members of

2548-486: Was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 57.1% from 18 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.8 years. The population was 53.2% female and 46.8% male. The median income for a household in the city was $ 34,561, and the median income for a family was $ 42,313. Males had a median income of $ 32,699 versus $ 25,320 for females. About 14.2% of families and 19.2% of

2600-515: Was a major national center of lead and zinc mining for more than 100 years in the heart of the Tri-State Mining District . Decades of unrestricted subsurface excavation dangerously undermined most of Picher's town buildings and left giant piles of toxic metal -contaminated mine tailings (known as chat ) heaped throughout the area. The discovery of cave-in risks, groundwater contamination and health effects associated with

2652-626: Was also featured on an episode of the Weather Channel's Storm Stories . Picher was also featured in the premiere episode of Forgotten Planet: Abandoned America on the Discovery Channel (along with Pripyat, Ukraine ) in a story of two cities abandoned due to industrial disasters. In April 2015, Picher was featured in a segment on the National Geographic Channel called "The Watch", in which one of

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2704-618: Was officially dissolved on November 26, 2013. 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. 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

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