A Picher Worth 5000 Miles

Charles Duboise (right) and his visitors from Picher, Germany. Photo courtesy of the Dairy King.

The story of Picher, Oklahoma is a tragic one. The community in far northeast Oklahoma was once a hub of the Tri-State Mining District and a major national source of lead and zinc. Situated just north of US Highway 66 between Quapaw and Commerce, it shaped the fortunes of many…but decades of excavation led to the town literally being undermined. Toxic piles of chat rose above the treetops like a private mountain range. In 1983, the town was declared part of the Tar Creek Superfund Site and, eventually, the entire town faced a buyout and mandatory evacuation. An EF4 tornado in 2008 essentially wiped what remained of the town off the map.

It’s not exactly a spot that calls out to people traveling Historic Route 66. The public is advised to stay away as the ground is still contaminated. However, some recent visitors wanted to learn more about the ghost town and meet people that lived there when it was still a vibrant community. They were from Picher, too. Picher, Germany, that is.

Picher, in the state of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, sits about 100 kilometers from the northern shore of Germany and dates back to the 11th century. More than a decade ago, three girls from the village (Imhe Galts, Alina Duhring, and Clara Sabban) discovered there was another Picher in the world. They knew instantly that they wanted to visit some day. Studying abroad, these plans became a bit more solid two years ago. “As our studies at university are coming to an end, we figured we should be going to Picher, OK in the summer of 2025,” they said. “Researching and learning more about the history gave us even more motivation to go on this trip as soon as possible, because it was very important to us to get in touch with people from Picher and the surrounding area.”

They planned a road trip from New York City to Dallas and started reaching out via social media to find people they could talk to as they passed through Oklahoma. “A lot of people expressed concerns about our plans and said that there is not much to see,” they continued. But that didn’t stop them. “We still stayed open minded and wanted to see it with our own eyes. The day came and as soon as we arrived in Picher, the opposite of what people told us [would happen] happened.”

They met several people during their visit, all of whom were keenly interested in their story. They even met with someone from the environmental department. They’d also been directed to stop in at the Dairy King and talk to Charles Duboise, one of the owners of the long-time restaurant and a known local historian. Charles and his mother, Treva, have operated the Dairy King since 1980. They found the story of this international pilgrimage captivating and the girls’ enthusiasm heartwarming. “In all of our years here, there are a handful of visits that stand out above the rest,” Charles said. “This is one of them.” The girls wore custom t-shirts made especially for the trip and had several stickers with them…including one with a cow (their town mascot) and a gorilla (Picher, OK’s mascot) shaking hands with each country’s flag behind them. “It was an absolute pleasure talking to them. If everyone in the world were as nice as they were, it would be a better place.”

One of the stickers created for this special journey.

Charles showed them photographs and told a few stories. He even brought out a few rocks that his grandfather, a miner, had extracted in Picher many years ago. The German travelers were impressed. “Hearing about a strong sense of community like that even after everything that happened blew us away,” they said after learning about the town’s annual get-together in nearby Miami and the fact that locals still organize a Christmas parade.

Imke, Alina, and Clara are excited to share their journey with their village of 650 back in Germany. “A lot of people are…very interested in what we have to share about the trip,” they said. They are eager to share their journey with their friends and family, including, “everything we learned and the incredible kindness that we got to experience.” They hope to return someday, too. “We will never forget this trip.”