My parents are both from small towns in the Lehigh Gap of Pennsylvania. The linked Wikipedia entry is short but informative. The below attached article immediately brought back vivid memories of visiting grandparents & family. As a kid, I would look up at the mountain from my Grandmother's place and wonder why the mountain was bare. My father told me that he grew up thinking that's how mountains are supposed to look. It was the legacy of the Zinc company. It gave the people a town and jobs, but took away it's trees.
Pollution brings end to Oklahoma mining town
Unlike the town in Oklahoma, Palmerton is still plugging away. People still live there. They still talk about the cancer rate, but they are there. The "no cruising" sign is still out on Delaware Ave. The Olympic-sized town pool is still open for business. In fact, the only thing that looked different when I was there last summer was the mountain. It had trees.
I worry about our world when I think about places like Palmerton, Picher, and most of the state of West Virginia.
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