Thurman, Colorado

Thurman, Colorado
Thurman, Colorado
Location within the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°44′29″N 103°13′04″W / 39.74139°N 103.21778°W / 39.74139; -103.21778
Country United States
State State of Colorado
CountyWashington County[1]
EstablishedAbout 1902
Elevation4,876 ft (1,486 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Code
80801[2]
GNIS feature ID0195021

Thurman is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Colorado, United States. It was originally a Mennonite settlement.

History

Thurman was established about 1902. The Thurman Post Office opened in July 1904, but closed on August 10, 1924: the US Post Office at Anton (ZIP 80801) now serves Thurman.[2][3] The town once boasted a population of over 150 people, but declined after a 1924 tornado killed ten people meeting at a home.[4] By the 1970s, the Mennonite population had relocated, along with their church building, to Joes, Colorado.

Geography

Thurman is located at 39°59′06″N 103°21′07″W / 39.98500°N 103.35194°W / 39.98500; -103.35194 (39.590648,-103.210749). Thurman is located at the intersection along unpaved county roads County Roads 3 and CC, 9 miles south of Anton in southern Washington County, about 6 miles north of the Lincoln county line.[5]

1924 tornado

On August 10, 1924 at about 1:00 pm, a large and violent tornado touched down about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west of Thurman. The tornado produced wind speeds of 210 mph (340 km/h). It is speculated that it was an F4 to low end F5. The tornado destroyed almost every building and killed 11 people, making it the deadliest tornado in Colorado history. After the tornado, the population declined with most residents moving to nearby towns.[4][6][7][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  3. ^ Bauer, William H.; James L. Ozment; John H. Willard (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859-1989. The Colorado Railroad Museum. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
  4. ^ a b Linda Houston (December 24, 2009). "Thurman, CO Tornado, Aug 1924 - Fatal Storm". Archived from the original on March 11, 2012.
  5. ^ "Thurman Populated Place Profile / Washington County, Colorado Data".
  6. ^ "Tornado Stories". The Tornado Project. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "Thurman Tornado August 10th, 1924". National Weather Service. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Thurman, CO F4 Tornado – August 10, 1924". Tornado Talk. August 26, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2023.