Near Picher in Ottawa County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Ore Mines

Will Rogers Memorial Highway

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 8, 2025

1. Ore Mines Marker

Inscription. Lead was first discovered in this tri-state district in 1848. From 1912 until 1938 over 14,000,000 tons of zinc and lead concentrates have been mined valued at $668,000,000.00. The average depth of the mines is about 280 feet.

Erected by Eagle Picher M&S Company. (Marker Number A-5.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.

Location. 36° 56.609′ N, 94° 51.986′ W. Marker is near Picher, Oklahoma, in Ottawa County. It is at the intersection of East 50 Road and North Mickey Mantle Boulevard, on the right when traveling east on East 50 Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 800 N Mickey Mantle Blvd, Miami OK 74354, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oklahoma’s Quapaw Nation,

specifically in the Cherokee Nation,

and in Northeast Oklahoma — Green Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Ozarks,

on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Boyhood Home of Mickey Mantle (approx. one mile away); Mickey Charles Mantle (approx. 1.3 miles away); The British Plot (approx. 2.4 miles away); McPherson Post No 48 G.A.R. Civil War Memorial (approx. 2½ miles away); Treece, Kansas Historical Marker (approx. 4.3 miles away in Kansas); Route 66 Stone (approx. 4.4 miles away); Steve Owens (approx. 4.7 miles away); Carol Littleton (approx. 4.7 miles away).

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sectionhead>More about this marker. It was erected along the original alignment of Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Memorial Highway. The highway was shifted eastward in 1952, indicating the marker likely was installed sometime in the 1940s. The company that provided the sign, Eagle-Picher, operated a mine in nearby Picher, Oklahoma until 1967.

Also see . . .
1. Tri-State Lead and Zinc District. Lead and zinc mining ranks high among Oklahoma's historically significant extractive industries. Lead and zinc, found together, occur in various locations, including the Arbuckle Mountains near Davis and Ravia, the Wichita Mountains near Lawton, the Ouachita Mountains of northeastern McCurtain County, and in Ottawa County. By far the most productive have been the vast deposits found in the 1,188-square-mile Tri-State District (also called the Joplin Region because financial, manufacturing, and transportation industries that served the district originally centered in Joplin, Missouri). (Dianna Everett, The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society) (Submitted on May 9, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Picher, Oklahoma: From Lead Zone to Dead Zone. This is a story of Picher, Oklahoma, a lead-zinc mining community that went from nothing to

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 8, 2025

2. Ore Mines Marker

boomtown to nothing again in barely 100 years. (“Problogic”, Panethos blog, Aug. 7, 2023) (Submitted on May 9, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Tri-state Lead and Zinc Mining District image. Click for full size.

“Lead and Zinc Mining in Kansas”, Liz Brosius and Robert S. Sawin; Kansas Geological Survey (Public Domain)

3. Tri-state Lead and Zinc Mining District

Credits. This page was last revised on May 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 9, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 9, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.