Treece, Kansas Historical Marker

Treece, Kansas Historical Marker. Dedicated to the Former Residents. , The City of Treece, located ½ mile west of Hwy. 69 was founded on February 26, 1918 as a result of mining operations in the early 20th century. During prime mining industry production; Treece, neighboring Picher, Oklahoma and several other small nearby towns combined has a population of over 20,000. In the 1920s this region commonly known as the Tri-State Mining District was the world's largest producer of zinc and lead, supplying ore for ammunition used during World Wars I and II. Ore production declined rapidly in the 1960s as did the city's population. Treece was within the Cherokee County, Kansas OU-4 Treece Superfund Site and adjacent to the Oklahoma OU-4 Tar Creek Superfund Site, which were established due to contamination from historic mining activities., In 2010, thanks to the persistent efforts of local citizens, city officials and state/federal legislators, residents of Treece were offered voluntary relocation assistance from the Treece Relocation Assistance Trust, a state public trust funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The buyout was offered to remove residents from the risk of sink holes caused by subsidence of underground mines and exposure to regional contamination from waste remaining from past mining operations. The buildings and streets were removed in 2012 and restrictions placed on the deeds to prevent the properties from being occupied in the future. Treece was officially dissolved as a city on May 9, 2012 and will forever live on in the hearts of its former residents.