Treece, Kansas, located one-half mile west of Highway 69, was founded on February 26, 1918, as a result of mining operations in the early 20th century. During the prime of the mining industry, Treece, neighboring Picher, Oklahoma, and several other nearby small towns had a combined 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, after persistent efforts by local citizens, city officials, and state and federal legislators, Treece residents 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 sinkholes 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, restrictions were placed on the deeds to prevent the properties from being occupied in the future, and Treece was officially dissolved as a city on May 9, 2012.
