This was my hometown...I grew up there, went to school my whole life. I miss our town so much. I hate driving through there now b/c it's so depressing. Thank you for sharing this video. I don't think I'll ever find a community like Picher again. Go Gorillas!! PHS is the best!!
Kinda me reminds me of Centralia, PA, a once populous town, now a man-made ghost town caused by an underground coal mine fire that's still burning to this day.
A few people stubbornly refuse to leave this death trap. The high school and post office no longer exist. In fact, the only business that still exists is the pharmacy.
It reminds me of a scene in Ayn rand's book Atlas Shrugged where Dagny and Henry are driving through once-thriving towns that have regressed to neolithic conditions, mostly as a result of Government bungling.
@freethoughtmusic Except...what happened in this town had nothing to do with the government. Look up the history of the city and you'll find it was contaminated beyond reclamation by mining companies...and the government had to move everyone out for their safety. Something like 1/3 of the kids in this town were suffering from lead poisoning. It was good old fashioned free enterprise that poisoned this city. I'm sure Ayn Rand would just take that as collateral damage for "freedom."
Lead and zinc are everywhere - hills of dangerous dust are still not removed - the dust caused health problems: in the bones, nerves, muscles ....blood.
The discovery of the cave-in risks, groundwater contamination and health effects associated with the chat piles and subsurface shafts—particularly an alarming 1996 study which showed lead poisoning in 34% of the children .....
A lot of this video reminds me of neighborhoods you see in Detroit or Saginaw or Flint. I saw some vehicles in the video, but I can't understand how anyone could live in a place like that. And not just because of the toxons there, but also because of how eerie and spooky it is. It's America's Pompeii or Chernobyl.
Every time I watch this video I get an eerie feeling Doing some study about Picher it is disturbing how kids look at the chat piles as normal So many people hurt by the lead laced dust & water I hope the Quapaw Indians can turn it into something beneficial How sad that the proud past of this town has been tainted with toxins Sadly nearby towns are suffering the same demise Will we ever learn? When will men stop putting profit over the well fare of others?
@anskee31513 I grew up in this town and it really wasn't that bad. I'm just fine and I lived there my whole life. I think they should make a movie on it and how great the people were in that small town.
I lived here for the first 22 years of my life. I love this town, and I miss it dearly. Most of the buildings that remain (many were and still are being torn down), including the school buildings, and facilities were bought by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for offices and such. So, yeah, there are some cars here and there, but 99% of the residents are gone.
It really makes me mad when I see all the homeless people on the street who desperately need a place to call home and I see this kind of thing, distraught homes, businesses and community buildings that can be still be fixed up and given to the people who need them. This is one of the worst mismanagements of government and public property I've ever seen! It's no wonder everybody hates our government and rich land developers so much! It's just all bullshit!
@smalltownman73 Nobody's going to develop that land and it can't be given to homeless people. Did you miss the part about it being contaminated with lead? The careless mining of the past ruined it.
Brought you by the Corporate whores of America.(That's any of you who subscribed to this disaster and played a part in allowing it to happen)They're selling, you're buying, and at the cost of everything you own.You deserve what you get.Poetic Justice at it's finest.You sold your souls,now you've become this.A wasteland for the Sleople who never wake.
I can understand why this is a sad but mesmerizing . Things of the past still lurk around , it's like everyone just packed up their things and walked away . God be with those who lost , suffered and have only memories of the town it once was . God Bless ~
my aunts house was the first house the tornado hit in picher, the tornado picked her up and carried her several blocks, she lived through it, its sad to see that a town where my dad and family grew up in with climbable chat piles as big as mountains now lies in waste
2:24 seems like there are still residents, because that is a late model minivan. I live in Tulsa and watched the F4 tornado that ripped throught there, I feel for your guys.
i was born and raised in that area, travelled through pitcher alot and even went to church their as a child. Its amazing what has happened and tragic as well. The true sadness is when you realize time will takes its course and pitcher oklahoma will be nothing but a myth
thank you for the video--my mother-in-law grew up in Picher. Yesterday she was relating stories of Picher with a tear in her eyes because of what has happened to her home town. She still misses the many friends and family that once were there.
Coney05, "they" didn't destroy the town, the mining companies did (like Eagle Picher). My family is from this town, my grandparents had a grocery store and gas station in this town. My family history is rooted in Picher and now that history is gone...I just want to say to anyone that may want to add their snide comments about Picher...keep them to yourself...When your family history gets bulldozed over you might understand...
You can see the huge chat piles they have piled around... I remember seeing this on "Life After People" and feeling really sad for the families who called Picher home. You just have to love human stupidity.
In Aug. 1993. I walked with a 12 foot by 6 foot cross in Picher, Ok. sharing Jesus with everyone I met along the way. And the people was so excited to see the cross. Some of the streets in this video shows some of the streets I walked down. And the cross walk made the front page of the news paper in Picher. This video is so sad. Jesus Loves You all.
Poor Picher, its a travesty what happened to that poor town......poisoning and an EF4 tornado, very sad. At 6:40, the sad state of Picher is too overwhelming for the dog
We lived in Picher for over 17 years, but bought a home and moved out in 1992. Mining destroyed it. The tornado finished it off. Mining killed a lot of the miners, while Jack Picher moved on with his wealth and fortune. RIP Picher. You will live forever in our hearts. So sad....
just drove by it the other day, even fewer cars are in town. I only saw one total, the drive through and back. We drove down main street only. We didn't know about picher until we drove through. It was a sad experience. I've never seen a town so empty. Sorry the people had to lose their town.
This was my home town, I grew up there. My home was the blue house that was across the street from the water tower. I had such great times there growing up. Now neither I or everyone else that lived in Picher can ever truly go home again. But I still have my memories. I now live in Shreveport, LA. It's a busy city and I like it here, but back home I knew everybody and they knew me...that's something you just don't have in a big place like this...if anybody from Pich reads this...Hello!
This was my hometown...I grew up there, went to school my whole life. I miss our town so much. I hate driving through there now b/c it's so depressing. Thank you for sharing this video. I don't think I'll ever find a community like Picher again. Go Gorillas!! PHS is the best!!
wbecky435 3 days ago
Fallout
0oNiels0o 1 week ago
Kinda me reminds me of Centralia, PA, a once populous town, now a man-made ghost town caused by an underground coal mine fire that's still burning to this day.
Quite sad nevertheless.
Strategichan425 1 week ago
It's kinda sad :X
malumo4a 1 week ago
great clip iwould ljive there now if it wasnt for being a milin miles awayy haha
TheLonecowboy1 2 weeks ago
great music for this video, very haunting..
jzdelona 4 weeks ago
People kidnapped by aliens!!!
tigertj1994 1 month ago
A few people stubbornly refuse to leave this death trap. The high school and post office no longer exist. In fact, the only business that still exists is the pharmacy.
TheRealThreeP 1 month ago
It reminds me of a scene in Ayn rand's book Atlas Shrugged where Dagny and Henry are driving through once-thriving towns that have regressed to neolithic conditions, mostly as a result of Government bungling.
freethoughtmusic 2 months ago
@freethoughtmusic Except...what happened in this town had nothing to do with the government. Look up the history of the city and you'll find it was contaminated beyond reclamation by mining companies...and the government had to move everyone out for their safety. Something like 1/3 of the kids in this town were suffering from lead poisoning. It was good old fashioned free enterprise that poisoned this city. I'm sure Ayn Rand would just take that as collateral damage for "freedom."
Mikefreed9241 2 months ago
@Mikefreed9241 Yes, I do understand what you mean there. You definitely have a point.
freethoughtmusic 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
0:32 and 1:51 you can see the waste deposit here on the left side. Each wind or - worse: each tornado is dispersing the toxic stuff everywhere.
BlueMagicEarth 3 months ago
Comment removed
BlueMagicEarth 3 months ago
Lead and zinc are everywhere - hills of dangerous dust are still not removed - the dust caused health problems: in the bones, nerves, muscles ....blood.
The discovery of the cave-in risks, groundwater contamination and health effects associated with the chat piles and subsurface shafts—particularly an alarming 1996 study which showed lead poisoning in 34% of the children .....
BlueMagicEarth 3 months ago
@MrChiliman2
about 16,000.
BlueMagicEarth 3 months ago
At 3:37 it looks like a death camp.
DrShakalu619 3 months ago
Ghost towns are so sad but also strangely fascinating.
antred11 3 months ago
A lot of this video reminds me of neighborhoods you see in Detroit or Saginaw or Flint. I saw some vehicles in the video, but I can't understand how anyone could live in a place like that. And not just because of the toxons there, but also because of how eerie and spooky it is. It's America's Pompeii or Chernobyl.
Clevinger67 5 months ago
Every time I watch this video I get an eerie feeling Doing some study about Picher it is disturbing how kids look at the chat piles as normal So many people hurt by the lead laced dust & water I hope the Quapaw Indians can turn it into something beneficial How sad that the proud past of this town has been tainted with toxins Sadly nearby towns are suffering the same demise Will we ever learn? When will men stop putting profit over the well fare of others?
anskee31513 6 months ago
That would be a great place to film a zombie movie.
Jumwja 6 months ago
You'd be putting the actors & crew at risk of lead poisoning. Not worth the cost.
anskee31513 6 months ago
@anskee31513 I grew up in this town and it really wasn't that bad. I'm just fine and I lived there my whole life. I think they should make a movie on it and how great the people were in that small town.
wbecky435 3 days ago
@Jumwja
the place is toxic.
BlueMagicEarth 3 months ago
Reminds me of the movie 'Gummo' where the kids live in a half abandoned town destroyed by a tornado.
mrstormchaser1966 6 months ago
I lived here for the first 22 years of my life. I love this town, and I miss it dearly. Most of the buildings that remain (many were and still are being torn down), including the school buildings, and facilities were bought by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for offices and such. So, yeah, there are some cars here and there, but 99% of the residents are gone.
xCommonGoodx 6 months ago
I saw some cars. People still live there...
DarrenakaHeater 7 months ago
Comment removed
DarrenakaHeater 7 months ago
so its a ghost town forever? plz reply
N1gHtStAlKeR726 7 months ago
I wish I can travel, I wanna go to these ghost towns.
khandi08ful 7 months ago
Looks so depressing and yes lonely............
khandi08ful 7 months ago
It really makes me mad when I see all the homeless people on the street who desperately need a place to call home and I see this kind of thing, distraught homes, businesses and community buildings that can be still be fixed up and given to the people who need them. This is one of the worst mismanagements of government and public property I've ever seen! It's no wonder everybody hates our government and rich land developers so much! It's just all bullshit!
smalltownman73 7 months ago
@smalltownman73 Nobody's going to develop that land and it can't be given to homeless people. Did you miss the part about it being contaminated with lead? The careless mining of the past ruined it.
bantyhenrants 7 months ago
I want that air freshner!!!!
phenixred1 8 months ago
Brought you by the Corporate whores of America.(That's any of you who subscribed to this disaster and played a part in allowing it to happen)They're selling, you're buying, and at the cost of everything you own.You deserve what you get.Poetic Justice at it's finest.You sold your souls,now you've become this.A wasteland for the Sleople who never wake.
stillbreathing37 8 months ago
thies is a fuk fuk you
RaianKodes 8 months ago
I can understand why this is a sad but mesmerizing . Things of the past still lurk around , it's like everyone just packed up their things and walked away . God be with those who lost , suffered and have only memories of the town it once was . God Bless ~
Kyla6592 8 months ago
Hold on, gotta pop a dramamine...
reymatt76 9 months ago
my aunts house was the first house the tornado hit in picher, the tornado picked her up and carried her several blocks, she lived through it, its sad to see that a town where my dad and family grew up in with climbable chat piles as big as mountains now lies in waste
Thatswazzapp 10 months ago
yes there is still ppl there but not very many at all
20bwannab 10 months ago
2:24 seems like there are still residents, because that is a late model minivan. I live in Tulsa and watched the F4 tornado that ripped throught there, I feel for your guys.
LegacyQuality 11 months ago
Looks like Detroit...
CEOkiller 11 months ago
piss on africa..
JustinTn27 11 months ago
i was born and raised in that area, travelled through pitcher alot and even went to church their as a child. Its amazing what has happened and tragic as well. The true sadness is when you realize time will takes its course and pitcher oklahoma will be nothing but a myth
Lsdgotaholdofme 1 year ago
thank you for the video--my mother-in-law grew up in Picher. Yesterday she was relating stories of Picher with a tear in her eyes because of what has happened to her home town. She still misses the many friends and family that once were there.
gdbeaver53 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
omg this is freakn hilarious!!! check out this movie in web movie tube
divinagoettel22 1 year ago
Coney05, "they" didn't destroy the town, the mining companies did (like Eagle Picher). My family is from this town, my grandparents had a grocery store and gas station in this town. My family history is rooted in Picher and now that history is gone...I just want to say to anyone that may want to add their snide comments about Picher...keep them to yourself...When your family history gets bulldozed over you might understand...
scsuflyboy2010 1 year ago 2
@scsuflyboy2010 I cant imagine the loss you have had to endured, this is so sad to just watch. I can only say im truly sorry.
fredericfd 1 year ago
Now the bank is completely gone, and so is the funeral home. And they are tearing more down..
ouroxmysox 1 year ago
You can see the huge chat piles they have piled around... I remember seeing this on "Life After People" and feeling really sad for the families who called Picher home. You just have to love human stupidity.
JenovaCelestia 1 year ago
Fuck you John404201 you delusional masochist
atfsurrey 1 year ago
hate to say it -but nature is so much more peaceful and serene without humans around
martiansurgery 1 year ago 2
That blue Mustang that passed by at 5:36 is visible on Google Maps' Street View. I guess it really is a small town.
NESherv 1 year ago
its like another centralia p.a.
390merc65 1 year ago
In Aug. 1993. I walked with a 12 foot by 6 foot cross in Picher, Ok. sharing Jesus with everyone I met along the way. And the people was so excited to see the cross. Some of the streets in this video shows some of the streets I walked down. And the cross walk made the front page of the news paper in Picher. This video is so sad. Jesus Loves You all.
john404201 1 year ago
@john404201 know whats worse? Africa.
mrabdallahaldashti 1 year ago
Good ol' American Capitalism right here!
Vamp1963 1 year ago
@Vamp1963= Chernobyl, good old Soviet communism.
vigo894 1 year ago
Poor Picher, its a travesty what happened to that poor town......poisoning and an EF4 tornado, very sad. At 6:40, the sad state of Picher is too overwhelming for the dog
LowTegra 1 year ago
I had no idea it was so bad. Love to Picher from Tulsa.
EA1088 1 year ago
We lived in Picher for over 17 years, but bought a home and moved out in 1992. Mining destroyed it. The tornado finished it off. Mining killed a lot of the miners, while Jack Picher moved on with his wealth and fortune. RIP Picher. You will live forever in our hearts. So sad....
girlmusic2remember 1 year ago
Interesting. I wonder if the gov had insurance on what they owned before the tornado hit?
I live on the Iron Range in N. MN, and the mines have moved whole towns. Nice how the mines didn't have to make it right, but "we" tax payers did.
bigc028282 1 year ago
just drove by it the other day, even fewer cars are in town. I only saw one total, the drive through and back. We drove down main street only. We didn't know about picher until we drove through. It was a sad experience. I've never seen a town so empty. Sorry the people had to lose their town.
carolcass2002 1 year ago
This was my home town, I grew up there. My home was the blue house that was across the street from the water tower. I had such great times there growing up. Now neither I or everyone else that lived in Picher can ever truly go home again. But I still have my memories. I now live in Shreveport, LA. It's a busy city and I like it here, but back home I knew everybody and they knew me...that's something you just don't have in a big place like this...if anybody from Pich reads this...Hello!
jdpicher 1 year ago
it pretty crazy how they destroyed there whole town by mining
coney05 1 year ago