By 1980, the drive-in had been demolished with a private residence located where the projection booth/concession stand once stood.
However, there is some debate whether the house was built on the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand or whether the building itself was remodeled into a home.
A 1995 aerial shows the building to have undergone some considerable changes compared to a 1980 aerial. But what is interesting is that the house today has two front doors despite it’s small size.
Looks like the land has been either plowed or resurfaced so there is no trace of the ramps or even an outline left. The projection booth/concession stand has basically been demolished with only some rubble left.
However, as of August 2019 the screen is still standing.
A closer address is 2620 Cherokee Ave, Sallisaw, OK
This puts the marker right on the property.
The drive-in was still intact in a 1980 aerial. By 1995, the property had been cleared and a small structure built near the center which still stands today.
The screen is long gone, but you can still see the ramps. Plus, as indicated in the previous post, the concession stand/projector booth may still be standing at the back of the property.
The structure that sits on the ramps is NOT the projection booth/concession stand. It did not exist in the 1971 aerial photo and does not appear until the 1995 aerial photo. And it is too off-center from where the screen stood to be the projection booth anyway.
However, the structure that apparently was the projection booth/concession stand which sat at the back on the property near the road seems to still be standing. It has been repainted to match the house that sits next to it.
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in intact and perhaps operational. By 1995 the screen had come down.
Today, it is an open field. Even the foundations of the screen and projector booth/concession stand are no longer visible. But the general outline and remnants of the entrance/exit road remains.
The drive-in was still intact in 1980. By 1995, the screen was gone.
I’m not sure what the term “evergreen plants” mean in the description. The 1955 and 1980 aerial photos only show a few trees and no plants of any note around the drive-in.
It seems that some of the screen foundation may still be remaining. In addition, the outline of the old entrance road runs up the eastern side of the property.
A closer address is 1305 W Washington Ave, Krebs, OK.
The drive-in sat on HWY 270 just east of McAlester on the north side. A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in operational when it was the Sky Vu.
By 1980, the drive-in had been demolished. Today, Discount Steel LLC sits on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining save for its general outline and entrance/exit road.
The description of the drive-in as found in the contribution section,
“Reflecting natural foliage found in surrounding mountain terrain, landscaping for this outdoor theatre was composed of evergreen plants, bordered by plenty of towering pine trees.”
is way, way off if this is indeed the same drive-in.
The 1955 aerial shows no plants or pine trees anywhere close to the drive-in which sits on level ground well away from the hills that are much closer to the town itself.
A closer address is 5757 U.S. 270, Wilburton, Oklahoma.
This places it right on the drive-in. You can still see the outline of the drive-in on Google Maps. But nothing else seems to remain save perhaps for the footings of the screen.
The drive-in remained intact in a 1985 aerial, but the screen was gone by 1994. The rest of the drive-in was still present in 2000, but the property was redeveloped by 2004.
In addition to part of the entrance/exit road, there is a rectangular outline where the screen once stood. Some of the footings which appear in the 2000 aerial may still be present under the brush.
Can we get some confirmation of the drive-in address in Wilburton?
A 1955 aerial doesn’t show anything near the address listed. And since there are leaves on the trees in the aerial, there should be some indication of a drive-in that was operational in May of 1955.
Over a dozen years ago, a fire destroyed the wooden double-screen of the Admiral Twin in Tulsa. It was replaced by an all-metal screen.
Not only is the new screen sturdier, it is also insured. The old wooden screen was too expensive to insure. So, I wonder if the screen at this drive-in being made of wood was insured at all?
A Google Street View from 2015 shows the screen is gone. You can still see some of the ramps, but if there are any speaker poles left, I cannot see them.
A 1974 aerial does show a completed West Florissant Road while the drive-in was still operating. The original entrance road was replaced and the new entrance road was created which connected the drive-in at approximately 11206 West Florissant Avenue.
Having said that, there are two smaller entrance roads with all three leading to the ticket booth. One just south of the main entrance on West Florissant and the other further east at roughly 3206 Dunn Road which is now an entrance road to the mall.
At this point, I really don’t care whether the address is changed or not. But what is true is that the original entrance was changed when the drive-in was in operation.
I understand that the drive-in may have advertised itself using an intersection. And I don’t want to get into an argument over what criteria is to be used. It’s up to the admin, I’m providing the address I found.
By 1980, the drive-in had been demolished with a private residence located where the projection booth/concession stand once stood.
However, there is some debate whether the house was built on the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand or whether the building itself was remodeled into a home.
A 1995 aerial shows the building to have undergone some considerable changes compared to a 1980 aerial. But what is interesting is that the house today has two front doors despite it’s small size.
Looks like the land has been either plowed or resurfaced so there is no trace of the ramps or even an outline left. The projection booth/concession stand has basically been demolished with only some rubble left.
However, as of August 2019 the screen is still standing.
A closer address is 2620 Cherokee Ave, Sallisaw, OK
This puts the marker right on the property.
The drive-in was still intact in a 1980 aerial. By 1995, the property had been cleared and a small structure built near the center which still stands today.
The screen is long gone, but you can still see the ramps. Plus, as indicated in the previous post, the concession stand/projector booth may still be standing at the back of the property.
https://tinyurl.com/2edmy5tt
The structure that sits on the ramps is NOT the projection booth/concession stand. It did not exist in the 1971 aerial photo and does not appear until the 1995 aerial photo. And it is too off-center from where the screen stood to be the projection booth anyway.
However, the structure that apparently was the projection booth/concession stand which sat at the back on the property near the road seems to still be standing. It has been repainted to match the house that sits next to it.
Screen and projection booth/concession stand remained standing until 2009. By 2010 they were demolished.
Today, even the faint traces of the ramps have disappeared.
It does appear that all traces of the drive-in are now gone.
Why the name Kiamichi?
The Kiamichi River is not far away. Antlers is also located in southeastern Oklahoma near the Kiamichi Mountains.
So given the location of the drive-in, a better question is “why NOT the name Kiamichi?”
A closer address is 2885 Murfreesboro Hwy, Manchester, TN.
This places the address on the first house on the property next to the entrance road.
It seems Google has updated their maps to include more street addresses.
https://tinyurl.com/2hsvxpwv
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in intact and perhaps operational. By 1995 the screen had come down.
Today, it is an open field. Even the foundations of the screen and projector booth/concession stand are no longer visible. But the general outline and remnants of the entrance/exit road remains.
A closer address is 1521 S Columbia, Plainview, TX.
This is now Astro RV Storage. Most of the ramps are still present.
https://tinyurl.com/33t56f49
The base of the marquee may be present next to the entrance road of the property.
You can still see the imprint of a few of the ramps, but most of the property is covered by a substation and a sea of power lines and poles.
Amazingly enough, there is still a slight imprint of the front part of the drive-in located behind the Master Lube business.
The drive-in was still intact in 1980. By 1995, the screen was gone.
I’m not sure what the term “evergreen plants” mean in the description. The 1955 and 1980 aerial photos only show a few trees and no plants of any note around the drive-in.
It seems that some of the screen foundation may still be remaining. In addition, the outline of the old entrance road runs up the eastern side of the property.
Otherwise, no trace of the drive-in is left.
The drive-in appears intact in a 1980 aerial. But by 1996 it had been demolished.
Today, the property includes houses, a self-storage business, and a pasture. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
As of May 2022 the screen is still present.
A closer address is 1305 W Washington Ave, Krebs, OK.
The drive-in sat on HWY 270 just east of McAlester on the north side. A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in operational when it was the Sky Vu.
By 1980, the drive-in had been demolished. Today, Discount Steel LLC sits on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining save for its general outline and entrance/exit road.
https://tinyurl.com/3fstd8n9
The description of the drive-in as found in the contribution section,
“Reflecting natural foliage found in surrounding mountain terrain, landscaping for this outdoor theatre was composed of evergreen plants, bordered by plenty of towering pine trees.”
is way, way off if this is indeed the same drive-in.
The 1955 aerial shows no plants or pine trees anywhere close to the drive-in which sits on level ground well away from the hills that are much closer to the town itself.
A closer address is 5757 U.S. 270, Wilburton, Oklahoma.
This places it right on the drive-in. You can still see the outline of the drive-in on Google Maps. But nothing else seems to remain save perhaps for the footings of the screen.
https://tinyurl.com/25uysbbc
The drive-in remained intact in a 1985 aerial, but the screen was gone by 1994. The rest of the drive-in was still present in 2000, but the property was redeveloped by 2004.
In addition to part of the entrance/exit road, there is a rectangular outline where the screen once stood. Some of the footings which appear in the 2000 aerial may still be present under the brush.
Can we get some confirmation of the drive-in address in Wilburton?
A 1955 aerial doesn’t show anything near the address listed. And since there are leaves on the trees in the aerial, there should be some indication of a drive-in that was operational in May of 1955.
Over a dozen years ago, a fire destroyed the wooden double-screen of the Admiral Twin in Tulsa. It was replaced by an all-metal screen.
Not only is the new screen sturdier, it is also insured. The old wooden screen was too expensive to insure. So, I wonder if the screen at this drive-in being made of wood was insured at all?
A Google Street View from 2015 shows the screen is gone. You can still see some of the ramps, but if there are any speaker poles left, I cannot see them.
A 1974 aerial does show a completed West Florissant Road while the drive-in was still operating. The original entrance road was replaced and the new entrance road was created which connected the drive-in at approximately 11206 West Florissant Avenue.
Having said that, there are two smaller entrance roads with all three leading to the ticket booth. One just south of the main entrance on West Florissant and the other further east at roughly 3206 Dunn Road which is now an entrance road to the mall.
At this point, I really don’t care whether the address is changed or not. But what is true is that the original entrance was changed when the drive-in was in operation.
I understand that the drive-in may have advertised itself using an intersection. And I don’t want to get into an argument over what criteria is to be used. It’s up to the admin, I’m providing the address I found.