Chat Heap – Picher Oklahoma

Picher OK is the historic center of the richest zinc and lead mines in America, fueling two Great Wars with munitions. Mining companies extracted billions, leaving little beyond rapacious rental agreements with Native People.

Today the Quapaw are left with a Superfund site, a scraped earth, and the remains of 70 million tons of tailings – cancerous chat, once used to top driveways and fill sandboxes. Chat was everywhere, and everyone was slowly becoming sick.

Reparations began in 1983, and continue through this day, yet the restoration of health is never repaid. The resulting relocation is a pattern continuing for almost 200 years.

Picher no longer exists as a community.

Close-up of a black bronze statue of a dog's face, showing details of the muzzle, nose, and eye area, with a textured surface.

Close-up of a black bronze statue of a dog's face, showing details of the muzzle, nose, and eye area, with a textured surface.

A wind turbine is partially visible behind leafless trees and bushes, with power lines in the background.

A wind turbine is partially visible behind leafless trees and bushes, with power lines in the background.

A white pickup truck parked on a street in front of an old, weathered house with graffiti on the walls. Orange spray-painted letters spell out 'SORRY' on the pavement in front of the truck.

A white pickup truck parked on a street in front of an old, weathered house with graffiti on the walls. Orange spray-painted letters spell out 'SORRY' on the pavement in front of the truck.

White wooden exterior wall with green handprints and splatters of paint next to a door with a decorative metal grille and a lock.

White wooden exterior wall with green handprints and splatters of paint next to a door with a decorative metal grille and a lock.

Blue house with the number 200 in white, graffiti in orange spray paint, a white mailbox with gold emblem, and part of a chain-link fence in the foreground.

Blue house with the number 200 in white, graffiti in orange spray paint, a white mailbox with gold emblem, and part of a chain-link fence in the foreground.

View from inside a vehicle showing a brick building with a yellow porch, window, and a red 'KEEP OUT' sign on the window, with a similar building in the background and trees in the distance.

View from inside a vehicle showing a brick building with a yellow porch, window, and a red 'KEEP OUT' sign on the window, with a similar building in the background and trees in the distance.

A black chalkboard with orange spray-painted text that reads 'Buy 1.45 Sell.' To the right, there are dried, tan-colored plants intertwined with a metal structure.

A black chalkboard with orange spray-painted text that reads 'Buy 1.45 Sell.' To the right, there are dried, tan-colored plants intertwined with a metal structure.

An abandoned house with peeling paint and broken windows, with overgrown dry grass and weeds in the front yard. The house has graffiti on the wall, including words and symbols.

An abandoned house with peeling paint and broken windows, with overgrown dry grass and weeds in the front yard. The house has graffiti on the wall, including words and symbols.

Close-up of a weathered, red brick wall with a hollow rectangular opening, with a rocky mountain in the background under a cloudy sky.

Close-up of a weathered, red brick wall with a hollow rectangular opening, with a rocky mountain in the background under a cloudy sky.

Partially visible white vehicle with one headlight on, parked on a gravel road in front of rocky desert landscape with layered mountains in the background.

Partially visible white vehicle with one headlight on, parked on a gravel road in front of rocky desert landscape with layered mountains in the background.

An abandoned, dilapidated white wooden church with peeling paint, boarded-up windows, and a sign that reads 'Christian Church' above the entrance, seen through a car window on a gray, overcast day.

An abandoned, dilapidated white wooden church with peeling paint, boarded-up windows, and a sign that reads 'Christian Church' above the entrance, seen through a car window on a gray, overcast day.

Weathered U.S. Property No Trespassing sign mounted on a wooden post next to barbed wire fence, with tall dried grass and leafless trees in the background.

Weathered U.S. Property No Trespassing sign mounted on a wooden post next to barbed wire fence, with tall dried grass and leafless trees in the background.

An old house with peeling white paint on the exterior wall, with three small closed windows. A leafless tree growing near the house. In the background, a white van parked on a driveway near a bare tree, with a black wooden fence and leafless trees be

An old house with peeling white paint on the exterior wall, with three small closed windows. A leafless tree growing near the house. In the background, a white van parked on a driveway near a bare tree, with a black wooden fence and leafless trees beyond.

A weathered steel security door with a mirror reflecting the doorway, propped against a wall in a dirty, abandoned room. The door has signs indicating it is a 'Steel Entry Door' by Mastercraft, with a 'No More Painting! Maintenance Break' sign on it.

A weathered steel security door with a mirror reflecting the doorway, propped against a wall in a dirty, abandoned room. The door has signs indicating it is a 'Steel Entry Door' by Mastercraft, with a 'No More Painting! Maintenance Break' sign on it.

Burned and damaged house with boarded-up windows, a charred tree, and dry, dead foliage and leaves on the ground.

Burned and damaged house with boarded-up windows, a charred tree, and dry, dead foliage and leaves on the ground.

Graffiti on a white brick wall with a red and blue message supporting a drug-free community, featuring the Picher, Oklahoma water tower in the background.

Graffiti on a white brick wall with a red and blue message supporting a drug-free community, featuring the Picher, Oklahoma water tower in the background.