A Modern Day Ghost Town

A very short distance from the Kansas border lies a little town called Picher, Oklahoma.  This small town used to be a very important mining town that had several workers mining for lead ore, which was used for bullets for both world wars.

The population was high then, jobs were plentiful, and it was a great place to go to school and raise a family.  Unfortunately, the town has been dying out for years.  Slowly officials were realizing Picher wasn't a safe place to live anymore.

The government started making buy-outs several years ago and people who lived there for years were too scared to stay due to the health hazards.  There are only a handful of people left now and according to the article, all that remains is basically a ghost town.

I can't imagine living somewhere and calling it home, raising a family and growing up there, then feeling like I had to leave to be safe.  Just knowing the town has become or at least has been called "the most toxic town in America", would be scary and heart-breaking.

There's a picture on this site showing a business with the letters TBCD spray painted on it. Apparently this stands for "to be condemned" and these letters had been spray painted on nearly every home and business in town.

I remember hearing about this on the news several times but after seeing the pictures and reading the article, it really makes me feel for all these people.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by this tragedy.  It also makes me thankful for my home and the safe place where I live.