What You'll Discover In These 8 Deserted Oklahoma Towns Is Truly Grim

Located in the Tar Creek Superfund Site (due to lead pollution), along with the widely-known town of Picher, the majority of Cardin's residents all received government buyouts which dropped the population to zero in 2010. This abandoned town full of lead poisoning is not only creepy but dangerous.

The town of Blackburn was started as a trade center in the late 1800s. Many town businesses sprung up overnight and the residents traded many items with Native Americans - since the town was located next to the Osage Reservation. The Great Depression and Dust Bowl impacted the town and it felt the impact. The town began its decline in the 1930s and by 1960 the post office closed its doors. Shells of businesses, two churches and memories are all that are left of Blackburn.

The town's beginning started in the late 1890s to early 1900s. It saw its peak between 1907-1915. The town had two banks, several businesses, town jail, library and courthouse. The town suffered during the Great Depression and, along with a major fire and rerouting of train tracks, Centralia began its decline. The Hilltop Cemetery and a few buildings are all that remain of deserted Centralia.

This ghost town is eerily below the water. Known as "the ghost town below the lake," all that remains of Lugert are foundations of cement buildings and town markers. The ghost town is only visible when the water in Lake Lugert-Altus is very low.

ThreeSands became a booming oil town back in the early to mid 1900s. The town's officials and merchants named the town ThreeSands because oil was being produced from 3 different oil sand depths - the Carmichael, the Wilcox, and the Tonkawa. The oil companies built housing for workers and the town was booming. When oil production began to slow down, it was the start of the downturn of ThreeSands. By 1957, the post office had closed down and all that remains today are concrete foundations, dilapidated buildings and a cemetery.

Once the county seat of Ellis County (previously Day County), Grand had a thriving town with a post office from 1892-1943. All that remains of this site is the vault that was used to hold county records and the foundation of the old courthouse.

Frisco was a town in Oklahoma Territory from 1889-1904. The only indicators that a town ever existed are the town cemetery and monument standing in front of a yard.

As the only ghost town to make our 2015 and 2016 list, Picher tops the list as the most grim. It is only one of a few places to be declared by the E.P.A. as one of the most toxic places in America - due to lead contamination. Piles of chat (resembling dirt piles) still reside in the ghost town.