Photos: A Fascinating Tour Of A Highly Toxic Ghost Town

Recently, I wrote about the town of Picher, OK. Picher is infamous for being an incredibly toxic place. No one lives there anymore, and there aren't any businesses left.

Thanks to the Internet, we can take a tour of this highly toxic ghost town without having to go ourselves.

The Rise And Tragic Fall Of Picher, OK

Picher, at one point, was a booming little town. Lead and zinc were mined there. In fact, they were mined there for over 100 years.

Unfortunately, the byproducts from mining eventually caused a laundry list of problems for the citizens of Picher.

It was eventually found that over one-third of the children there suffered from lead poisoning. The town's water wasn't able to be used. They had to get water brought in from other places.

The EPA and the state of Oklahoma eventually initiated a buyout and evacuation of the entire town. While many left, there were those who stayed.

The Tornado And The Pharmacy

The town's population dwindled down to almost zero. The last remaining holdouts finally accepted the buyout after an EF4 tornado ripped through the town.

One man, however, became famous for keeping his business open and staying.

It was the owner of the Ole Miners Pharmacy. He kept the pharmacy up and running, with former residents coming back just to see him.

When he died in 2015, the official population of Picher became zero.

The Photo Tour Of Picher Oklahoma

The photos in the gallery were taken between 2006 and 2016 for the most part. The earlier photos are from around the time that the last of Picher's residents were trying to hold on to their homes.

The older photos show Picher after the last remaining resident died, and the buildings were left to the elements or demolished.

Check it out below...