Ghost Towns

France declared 1,200 square kilometres of its own territory unfit for human life in 1919. A century later, clearing it would take another 700 years.

Portrait of a female author standing against a brick wall, wearing a green jacket and grey shirt.

Sophia R.

Picher, Oklahoma: The Most Toxic Town in America

Picher, Oklahoma armed two world wars with the ore beneath its streets. The town was erased in 2009, and the reason is still stacked on the ground.

Portrait of a male author with glasses standing against a concrete wall, wearing a green shirt and jacket.

Faro: The Canadian Mining Town That Became a $5 Billion Cleanup Problem

Faro, Yukon was once home to the world's largest lead-zinc mine. Three owners went bankrupt, and the cleanup bill hit $5 billion. Who's still living there?

Edward C.

The Zone Rouge: The French Land Declared Unfit for Human Life After World War I

Picher, Oklahoma: The Most Toxic Town in America

Faro: The Canadian Mining Town That Became a $5 Billion Cleanup Problem