Thurman, Colorado

Thurman is an unincorporated rural hamlet in Washington County, Colorado, United States. It was originally a Mennonite settlement. There are no businesses or services now located in Thurman, and only a couple of farm homes.

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. The town once boasted a population of over 150 people, but declined after a 1924 tornado killed ten people meeting at a home. By the 1970s, the Mennonite population had relocated, along with their church building, to Joes, Colorado.

Geography
Thurman is located at 39.985°N, -103.35194°W (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.

1924 tornado
On Sunday, August 10, 1924, storm clouds were forming after an unusually hot day with temperatures reaching 96 F. Afternoon rains began and stopped at about 12:30 pm. Suddenly things became quiet, but the clouds turned a dark black color; at about 1:00 pm, two local farmers spotted a large 0.5 mi wide tornado about 3 mi to the west. The tornado, which traveled in a north-easterly direction, struck Thurman with winds exceeding 210 mph and demolished almost every building. The tornado, which was thought to be an F4 to low end F5, killed 10 people, making it the deadliest tornado in Colorado history. After the tornado, the population declined and many who survived moved to nearby towns and the post office closed. The cemetery is all that remains today.