Treece, Kansas

Coordinates: 37°0′3″N 94°50′36″W / 37.00083°N 94.84333°W / 37.00083; -94.84333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Treece, Kansas
ZIP code
66778[6]
Area code620
FIPS code20-71350 [1]
GNIS ID469375 [1]

Treece is a

2010 census, the city population was 138.[3] As of May 2012 the city was abandoned and most buildings and other facilities demolished due to pervasive problems with lead pollution resulting from past mining. Two people who had refused an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) buyout remained in 2012,[4] then one died in 2016.[5]

History

Treece and neighboring former cities Picher, Cardin and Douthat were formed as a result of mining operations in the early 20th century. Realtor J. O. Treece lent the town his name.[7] The first post office in Treece was established in 1917.[8] Treece was a major supplier of lead, zinc, and iron ore. During its maximum production, Treece and Picher combined had a population of over 20,000 and produced $20 billion worth of ore mainly during World War I and World War II. After the 1970s, ore production declined rapidly as did the city's population.[9] In 1981 the Environmental Protection Agency deemed the Tri-State Mining District as contaminated and promised to take actions to clean up the area.[10]

The cleanup of Tri-State Mining District lands was divided for EPA purposes into a total of four National Priority List (NPL)

Environmental Protection Agency. Residents of Treece also demanded a buy-out, but at first were not certain of receiving one.[13]
As of September 2009, it was reported that the
Congress, however, passed an environmental appropriations bill on October 29, 2009, that authorized the EPA to buy out the town.[15] Residents had until August 31, 2010 to apply for a Federal buyout[16] and offers were to be made to the 80 residents who applied in December.[17] As of May 2, 2012 only one couple had rejected the buyout offer and remained in Treece living in a double-wide trailer. Other than their location all other facilities in the former city have been sold, moved, or demolished.[4]

Despite all the money spent by the EPA to relocate the people of Treece and tear down the buildings left behind, there has not been much clean up of the mine waste done.[citation needed]

In 2012, the State of Kansas officially disincorporated the city of Treece.[2]

Contamination

Treece, Kansas was deemed as uninhabitable and contaminated by the Environmental Protection Agency because of the large

EPA, children who swam in the local Tar Creek Superfund site would end up with chemical burns (superficially resembling sunburn) all over their bodies.[4]

The reason that the chat piles and mine tailings are so dangerous is because of the high amount of lead that is still left in the rock. While short-term exposure to lead will not necessarily harm a person, if one is exposed for long periods of time, which the people living in Treece were, it can result in

heart disease, kidney disease, and reduced fertility.[18]
No studies have been done to determine the effects that the toxic environment left on the health of former residents of Treece, Kansas.

Some of the chat piles in Treece are up to 200 ft (61 m) tall and the dust that is blown off from these piles “still contains enough metal to make blood-lead levels among young children here three times higher than the national average”,[4] indicating that the residents of Treece had been dealing and living with dangerous amounts of toxic waste in their backyards for 50–60 years before anything was done to clean up the area.

When the mining companies stopped mining, they shut off the water pumps that kept the mines from flooding. When the floodwater traveled through the mining tunnels, it picked up all the leftover traces of minerals that were left behind. The water then found its way into the local Tar Creek and other streams, contaminating the water and ruining the habitat of the local wildlife.[4]

It is important to add that Tar Creek runs through Treece and many other towns in the area that faced the same issues as Treece.

Geography

Treece is located in southeast Kansas adjacent to the Kansas-Oklahoma border just west of U.S. Route 69. Picher, Oklahoma lies one mile to the south.[19]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1930749—
1940568−24.2%
1950378−33.5%
1960280−25.9%
1970225−19.6%
1980194−13.8%
1990172−11.3%
2000149−13.4%
2010138−7.4%
2016 (est.)1−99.3%
U.S. Decennial Census, Census 2000

2000 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 0.67% of the population.

There were 59 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $28,125. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $33,125 for females. The

poverty line
, including 40.5% of under eighteens and 19.0% of those over 64.

2010s

As of May 2012, one couple who had rejected an EPA buyout offer remained in Treece.[4]

On August 30, 2016, Timothy Busby, one of the two remaining Treece residents, died at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife, Della Busby, who lived with him in Treece until his death, as well as their three grown children and other relatives.

See also

Next door communities that were also closed down and razed:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Treece, Kansas", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
  2. ^ a b "Former residents say goodbye to contaminated town of Treece". The Wichita Eagle. September 27, 2012. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 19, 2011.[dead link]
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Wes Enzinna (May 16, 2012). "Last Ones Left in a Toxic Town". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Timothy Busby Obituary, 2016.
  6. ^ "Treece ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "Profile for Treece, Kansas". ePodunk. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  8. ^ "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961, page 2". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  9. ^ Saulny, Susan (September 14, 2009). "Welcome to Our Town. Wish We Weren't Here". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  10. ^ Kirby, Bob (July 2006). "Scared for life: Treece, Kan. seeks buyout, closing of town" (PDF). The Kansas Lifeline: 33.
  11. ^ "Superfund Site: Tar Creek (Ottawa County), Ottawa County, OK, Cleanup Activities". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  12. ^ "Superfund Site: Cherokee County, Galena, KS, Cleanup Activities". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  13. National Public Radio
    . August 25, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
  14. ^ Treece Journal: Welcome to Our Town. Wish We Weren’t Here. SUSAN SAULNY, The New York Times, September 13, 2009
  15. ^ Lefler, Dion (October 30, 2009). "Congress approves buyouts for Treece". The Wichita Eagle. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  16. The Lawrence Journal-World
    . August 3, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  17. ^ Treece buyout offers to start next month. Staff reports, The Joplin Globe, November 5, 2010
  18. ^ "Lead: Health Problems Caused by Lead | NIOSH | CDC". www.cdc.gov. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  19. ^ Picher, OK, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1961 (1982 rev.)
  20. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.

Further reading

See also: List of books about Cherokee County, Kansas and List of books about State of Kansas

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Treece,_Kansas&oldid=1186856218"