In Northeastern Oklahoma, A Town That Was Once A Bustling Mining Center During The Early 1900s Is Now Abandoned And Known As The “Most Toxic Ghost Town In America”

In 1983, the Environmental Protection Agency declared Picher a Superfund Site, which is the name given to locations polluted with hazardous materials. The organization bought up many properties and attempted to clean up the town.

This proved to be a challenge because of all the mines underneath the city. The mines made the ground unstable, causing houses to collapse.

By 2000, only 1,640 residents remained. After a tornado struck in 2008, the population dropped even further. The state of Oklahoma officially disincorporated Picher on September 1, 2009.

Just 20 people occupied the town in 2010. And, in 2015, the last business in town closed when pharmacist Gary Linderman died.