July 3, 2006
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Ode to a Chat Dump
The Park Hills Chat Dump, MO
This is not the first ode to a chat dump. Some guy has created a website for his town’s chat dump, too.
The above picture is of one of my favorite places in Missouri — the Park Hills Chat Dump. What is a chat dump? A chat dump is a mountain of tailings left from lead mining. This huge hill dominates the skyline. At the base of the chat dump is a lake of blue, green, and purple glass bottle rejects from the factory next door. The glass spills over the edge of canyons created over the years from erosion, creating waterfalls of shiny sharpness.
One of the things my friend from Missouri challenged me to do is to climb the chat dump. At first I thought he was saying “chad dump.” So, is this where they put all the little remnants of election ballots? It is truly a challenge to climb the chat dump. I only reached about halfway, and had to stop and slide down. Every year the locals put a Christmas tree on top. I’m sure they use a pick-up to bring it up to the top. Park Hills, you so rock!
