Ute Theatre
Aguilar,
CO
81020
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A big bucket of notes:
Trinidad CO’s Chronicle-News wrote the day before about the May 11, 1912 formal dedication of the Princess theatre, built by Mrs. S. Macaron at a cost of about $10,000. H. L. Carson was the manager. Between operas, it was to function as a “high class vaudeville and moving picture house.”
The 1922-23 Film Daily Year Book’s only mention of Aguilar was that the “Sarah & Yoeman” chain was in charge of the Princess there.
The Walsenburg World wrote on March 6, 1923 that Che Kelloff had sold the Princess to Mr. L. E. Summers, who had a brother running a theater in La Veta.
The 1926 Film Daily Year Book listed two theaters in Aguilar, the Princess (200 seats) and the Strand (140 seats). The 1927 theater list omitted the entire state of Colorado. (What the?) Colorado was back in the 1928 book, but Aguilar didn’t return until the 1929 edition, where it had the Colorado (200 seats) and the Strand (140 seats).
Walsenburg World, July 21, 1927: “The Aguilar Theatre Company, a concern with which several business men from this city are directly interested, has abandoned the lease on the Colorado Theatre which it has held for the past ten months and has leased the Strand Theatre of Aguilar. George Nickolds will continue as manager of the company and will manage the company’s new theatre.”
The 1930 Year Book said that both the Colorado (now 290 seats) and the Strand were wired for sound. By 1933, only the Colorado remained, still with 290 seats. By 1937, the seat number was bumped up to 300. It was still the Colorado in 1938, but was the Ute in the 1940 book.
Najeeb Kelloff’s obituary said he “operated the Ute Theatre in Aguilar since 1925.”
By 1952, Najeeb’s son George was running the Ute, as mentioned in a Trinidad State Junior College alumni article in the Trojan Tribute.