Westside Drive-In
2301 W. Choctaw Street,
Tahlequah,
OK
74464
2301 W. Choctaw Street,
Tahlequah,
OK
74464
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Amazing that a town as small as Tahlequah could support two drive-in theatres. The Westside Drive-In was one, and Tahlequah Drive-In was the other.
The following comes courtesy of roadsideoklahoma,
Notes: "Though the actual opening and closing dates are yet unknown, this theater was present on topographic maps as of 1974 and was still visible from aerial photos as of 1995."
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Tumbleweed
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Approx. address for this drive-in was 2301 West Choctaw Street, Concession still up.
Google shows the ramps and what is left of the concession stand. I remember the screen was up for quite a while after it closed, but it either was tore down or fell down and was cleared away.
http://tinyurl.com/nxl5gp6
Aside from the screen being taken down sometime in the 1990s, the property has remained virtually the same. The concession stand/projector booth remains intact.
However, a new access road will have to be constructed if someone wants to invest in the drive-in.
Boxoffice, Sept. 16, 1974: “The new owners of the Westside Drive-In at Tahlequah are M. D. and Doris Gourley. Jim O'Donnell of Theatre Booking Service will continue to do booking and buying for the Tahlequah airer.”
The reason why such a small town as Tahlequah could support two drive ins for decades was a simple one. Northeastern State University is located in Tahlequah. And with only the Dream Theater (a single screen indoor theater) as competition, the drive ins could stay open.
The Westside closed first. But it was the addition of a six screen indoor theater that spelled doom for the Tahlequah drive in once its screen was damaged during a storm. When the screen fell a year or two later, the owner didn’t bother to do the repairs and the drive in closed.
A 1971 aerial shows the entrance road to the drive-in was on S Bryant Road, not W. Choctaw Street. There never was any direct access to W Choctaw Street which is also HWY 51.
However, since Google Maps cannot pinpoint the exact location of where the entrance intersected the road, I’m not going to suggest an address change.
Today, there is not trace of the entrance road or the ticket booth that was present in the 1971 aerial. But the general outline of the drive-in, traces of ramps, and the concession stand/projector booth are still standing.