Sahara Drive-In
1570 U.S. Route 66,
Grants,
NM
87020
1570 U.S. Route 66,
Grants,
NM
87020
1 person favorited this theater
Additional Info
Nearby Theaters
Located on the corner of Sakelares Boulevard and Route 66. The Sahara Drive-In was opened by J.C. West in May 1958 with Van Heflin in “Battle Cry”. It had a capacity for 400 cars. It was closed in June 1964.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Based on photos from Historic Aerials, the entrance was on Route 66 about 925 feet west of the intersection with Sakelares. What’s left of the marquee was still visible on Google Street View as of June 2018 in the middle of what is now the entrance to a Waste Management Hauling facility.
The screen faced south in the 1971 aerial photo, in which the back rows already looked untended. The 1973 topo map shows a drive-in there, but by the 1981 photo, the screen is gone and the southern half of the field is being used by another business.
I guess someone needs to add a Cinema Treasures entry for J.C. West’s other drive-in in Grants: the Trail. Historic Aerials shows it in 1955, screen facing north, in the middle of nowhere off Route 66 just west of town. Now there’s a sizable residential area around its intact (no screen) remains behind the Immanuel Baptist Church on Valencia Avenue. The 1981 aerial photo shows it still looking good, though the screen was gone by the 1997 photo.
Motion Picture Almanac mentions for Grants NM:
(Note: Please ignore my earlier comment about the Trail, which was in adjacent Milan NM.)
Boxoffice, May 26, 1958: “J. C. West, owner of the Trail Drive-In and the Lux here, has opened his new 400-car Sahara Drive-In at Grants, N. M.”
Boxoffice, June 29, 1964: “J. C. West has closed the Sahara Drive-In, Grants, N. M., and is operating the Trails and West theatres”
Cibola County Beacon (Grants, NM), March 31, 2006: “Business Hall of Fame … 1958 … The Sahara Drive In Theater opened east of Grants. The 90-feet wide and 58-feet tall theater could accommodate up to 400 cars. “Battle Cry,” starring Van Heflin, was the inaugural screening.”
A closer address is 1570 U.S. Rt. 66, Grants, NM.
The entrance road leads to a waste management center. You can still see the ramps and outline of the northern part of the drive-in. The marquee is also still in place.
https://tinyurl.com/39us6myj