I always tell the story of me being in 6th grade at Hillcrest Elementary in Northglenn on June 3, 1981. Sitting at our desks the principal comes over the intercom and announces that all students need to get under their desks. I look outside and see that it is dark as night – at least it seemed to be to a scared 12 year old!
Not long after, a tornado touched down a few miles away along Washington Street in Thornton destroying 25 homes and injuring 53 people.
In a recent series on the history of Washington Street, the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel revisited that day and the damage the tornado caused. It is fascinating reading whether you have lived here long enough to remember it or not.