Tar Creek Conflict Theory

The Tar Creek situation is a tragedy. I had never heard of Tar Creek but I had heard of the condemned area surrounding it. It was sad to hear about the maltreatment of Native Americans both before their relocation and after. I was angry to find out about the handicapping of children and the lack of effort to correct and prevent it. I was horrified to hear that not only was the town left to rot but it still has not been cleaned up and is spreading to areas like Grand Lake, where my own family has spent quite a bit of time.
A majority of the people affected by the Tar Creek issue were Native American. Many of them were low class or lower middle class descendents of Native Americans who were cheated out of money and forced to allow mining on their
Picher and Tar Creek are products of the long history of maltreatment of Native Americans in this country. The Quapaw Indians were forced from their home in Arkansas onto a reservation encompassing the Tar Creek region and attempted to make a life but were continuously bullied by the federal government and big mining businesses with no regard for their well being or future. The government went as far as naming many Indian land owners unfit to make decisions so that they did not have to be consulted for the mining companies to dig up their land. When the damage was done and the area became a superfund site, the businesses that had made so much money at the expense of the Quapaw tribe were not held responsible and the government attempted several half hearted clean up attempts to sweep the issue under the rug. When eventually they had to buyout the town they did it as cheaply and quickly as possible with clear prejudice against the Native Americans still in Picher. The government did a good job of keeping the issue quiet and the people of Picher became discouraged and accepted their defeat eventually relocating with the little they had left. The Quapaw tribe was left with this worthless and toxic land with no reparations paid and the evidence that the danger is spreading constantly. Unfortunately I think that the issue will not truly be resolved until it begins to hurt those in power personally or as a nation we push for a resolution and our