Central Mill
Eagle Picher Mining & Smelting Co.
Photos by John Schehrer
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Eagle Picher's Central Mill was built about 1932. It was located north of Commerce, Oklahoma and was created to serve as a custom mill for the lead and zinc mines of the Picher district. Many of the individual mills were closed and ore was shipped by rail and truck to this mill for processing. The huge tailing pile was the largest in the country and was over 400 feet high. The mill was closed in the 1970s and this huge mountain of chat was hauled off and is completely gone today.
View of Central Mill from the top of the giant chat pile. This pile of tailings was a real giant when this picture was taken in 1966.
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End of the Central Mill
In the 1970s all ore processing had ended at the Eagle Picher Central Mill. This ended mining in the Tri-State area. The giant mill is being torn down and the huge tailing pile is rapidly being hauled off. It was the end of an era.
