From the aerial photos, it appears the drive-in had become an auto salvage yard by 1969.
The screen along with the projection booth/concession stand was still upright in 1970. By 1982, both had been removed.
Today, the property has been resurfaced with gravel. A building stands near where the screen once stood with a trailer next to it. For most of the past 25 years, the property appears to have been owned by a trucking company. But it is currently unoccupied.
Apart from the entrance road, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
It’s safe to say that the Desert Lake Drive In has been located. Although it didn’t appear to last long. By 1972, the projection booth/concession stand looks demolished.
In terms of whether the Sky-Line Drive-In existed, HWY 466 is now known as Twenty Mule Team Road. With the railroad tracks running parallel to HWY 466 on the south side, the drive-in would probably be on the north side of the highway right around Boron.
However, a 1972 aerial reveals nothing that I can see which would be anything close to a drive-in. And it does not appear the town has grown much when comparing it to a 1952 aerial. So given that, this may have been a temporary drive-in.
As of December 2023, the drive-in remains in the same condition it has been for decades. One screen still stands, although it is being devoured by nature. The concession stand/projection booth is still present.
The used car dealership appears to be long closed. The building behind the concession stand/projection booth has probably been empty for at least 15 years.
Apart from the movie screen, the only thing remaining from the drive-in is the exit road as it meets the street. It is fenced off from the property, but the final few feet that connects it to the main road still exists.
Despite all the newer buildings on the property, the projection booth/concession stand is still present. Plus, a few partial ramps can still be seen on the south side of the projection booth/concession stand.
The drive-in first appears in a 1951 aerial. By 1971, a widescreen had replaced the old square screen. Plus, the entrance to the drive-in on the NE corner appears to have changed. A new building was added (perhaps a concession stand) and the entrance seems to have been paved.
By 1981, the entrance had changed again with the lane running down the east side of the drive-in disappearing. Given the tracks, I’m not sure if it was still open although the drive-in itself is still intact.
By 1992, the drive-in had been fully demolished, nothing but an empty field. The 1998 aerial reveals buildings on the site.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The drive-in looks intact and operational in a 1957 aerial. But the aerial the following year does make it look a little unkempt. By 1984, the drive-in had been totally demolished.
Today, the southern half has a home while the northern half is an open field with lots of rocks scattered about. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Today, the property looks abandoned. Everything has been removed save for the sign of the mobile home business (not to be confused with the marquee to the drive-in which has long been gone).
There is a small storage building on the NE corner of the property. Otherwise, all traces of the drive-in are fading away. Only the entrance/exit roads are still clearly defined.
The drive-in was located a couple miles north of Booneville on what was then HWY-45. The drive-in fits the description in the header and it remained intact up to a 1985 aerial. By 1996, the drive-in had been demolished.
Today, the property is now occupied by Mike Posey’s Automotive Specialists LLC. What appears to be a combination auto repair and salvage yard. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining, save for the old entrance/exit road which is still intact, but is no longer the main entrance to the site.
A closer address is 972 Columbia Ave, Prentiss, MS.
The drive-in was located at the “Y” of Columbia and MS-42. It appears intact and operational in a 1955 aerial. By 1968, it had been totally demolished and replaced by what is today a small strip mall.
A slightly closer address is 4901 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI.
This puts it right where the entrance/exit road use to connect to Plainfield Ave. Although the address of the property has now shifted to Paramount Drive, which did not exist at that time.
The drive-in was still fully intact in 1987.
By 1997, the screen had been removed, but the rest of the drive-in remained.
By 2005, it had been fully demolished and the property became a Meijer.
No trace of the drive-in remains.
A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in behind what would become the Delta Plex Arena.
What’s interesting is the parking overflow which runs alongside the drive-in. It has straight lines for parking, so I doubt it was intended to become a second screen for the drive-in.
A slightly closer address is 5913 MO-13, Higginsville, MO.
This puts it right in the middle of the property.
The drive-in underwent a change from 1957 to 1977. An exit road was created, connecting the back of the drive-in to Hazel Dell Road. In addition, gravel was added which covered the entire grounds. A building next to the exit road was constructed, possibly the concession stand.
By 1997, the drive-in was demolished.
By 2010, Hazel Dell Road was altered to run from the exit road through the middle of the property and then connecting with MO-13.
Why the road was altered in this manner is not readily apparent. However, the installation of several large power poles that run from a substation on the east side of MO-13 may be the reason.
Today, the land is private property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
In addition to the outline, entrance, and ramps, the projection booth/concession stand is still standing. Although the building is falling apart. Plus, the foundation of the screen is still present as well.
A 1971 aerial does not show the screen, which is quite prominent in the 1983 aerial. There appears to be some material around the area of where the screen should be located.
Was the screen torn down or perhaps blown down by a storm, then rebuilt? Or, did the drive-in not open until after 1971, which means it didn’t last very long.
I understand that if the sun is directly overhead, seeing the screen might be difficult. But it’s just not there. And aerial photos are time stamped, so unlike topo maps which may contain old information, aerial photos show what was there at the time.
A few parch marks of the ramps remain just to the west of the Ernie’s Canvas Products building. Otherwise, you’d never know a drive-in was once on the property.
The drive-in was still intact in 1981, but was demolished by 1985. Although the screen foundation and general outline was still present.
There appears to be a go-kart track in the 1981 aerial, between the entrance and exit roads. Something that was not present in the 1956 aerial.
Another slightly interesting feature was that the screen in 1956 appears to be a widescreen, something that was just being constructed in drive-ins at the time. Plus, the screen sits a considerable distance from the first row.
As of May 2021, part of the screen which has fallen over is still present on the property.
From the aerial photos, it appears the drive-in had become an auto salvage yard by 1969.
The screen along with the projection booth/concession stand was still upright in 1970. By 1982, both had been removed.
Today, the property has been resurfaced with gravel. A building stands near where the screen once stood with a trailer next to it. For most of the past 25 years, the property appears to have been owned by a trucking company. But it is currently unoccupied.
Apart from the entrance road, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The Martin Drive-In was still intact and apparently operational in 1968. By 1972, it was being demolished.
It’s safe to say that the Desert Lake Drive In has been located. Although it didn’t appear to last long. By 1972, the projection booth/concession stand looks demolished.
In terms of whether the Sky-Line Drive-In existed, HWY 466 is now known as Twenty Mule Team Road. With the railroad tracks running parallel to HWY 466 on the south side, the drive-in would probably be on the north side of the highway right around Boron.
However, a 1972 aerial reveals nothing that I can see which would be anything close to a drive-in. And it does not appear the town has grown much when comparing it to a 1952 aerial. So given that, this may have been a temporary drive-in.
As of December 2023, the drive-in remains in the same condition it has been for decades. One screen still stands, although it is being devoured by nature. The concession stand/projection booth is still present.
The used car dealership appears to be long closed. The building behind the concession stand/projection booth has probably been empty for at least 15 years.
Apart from the movie screen, the only thing remaining from the drive-in is the exit road as it meets the street. It is fenced off from the property, but the final few feet that connects it to the main road still exists.
This is not the drive-in. The drive-in sat on the north side of the street. This photo is the south side.
The drive-in has been replaced by a series of buildings, but the overall shape of the property reflects the unique shape of the drive-in.
Despite all the newer buildings on the property, the projection booth/concession stand is still present. Plus, a few partial ramps can still be seen on the south side of the projection booth/concession stand.
The drive-in first appears in a 1951 aerial. By 1971, a widescreen had replaced the old square screen. Plus, the entrance to the drive-in on the NE corner appears to have changed. A new building was added (perhaps a concession stand) and the entrance seems to have been paved.
By 1981, the entrance had changed again with the lane running down the east side of the drive-in disappearing. Given the tracks, I’m not sure if it was still open although the drive-in itself is still intact.
By 1992, the drive-in had been fully demolished, nothing but an empty field. The 1998 aerial reveals buildings on the site.
A closer address is 3021 Gurr Rd, Atwater, CA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The drive-in looks intact and operational in a 1957 aerial. But the aerial the following year does make it look a little unkempt. By 1984, the drive-in had been totally demolished.
Today, the southern half has a home while the northern half is an open field with lots of rocks scattered about. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/ye2tsbnm
The drive-in is present, intact, and looking operational in a 1976 aerial. And completely gone and replaced by the stores and parking lot in 1981.
Today, the property looks abandoned. Everything has been removed save for the sign of the mobile home business (not to be confused with the marquee to the drive-in which has long been gone).
There is a small storage building on the NE corner of the property. Otherwise, all traces of the drive-in are fading away. Only the entrance/exit roads are still clearly defined.
An even closer address is 1131 Old Hwy 45 S, Guys, TN.
Google Maps has now included the address on the property itself, putting it right on the entrance road near where the screen once stood.
A closer address is 428 MS-145, Booneville, MS.
The drive-in was located a couple miles north of Booneville on what was then HWY-45. The drive-in fits the description in the header and it remained intact up to a 1985 aerial. By 1996, the drive-in had been demolished.
Today, the property is now occupied by Mike Posey’s Automotive Specialists LLC. What appears to be a combination auto repair and salvage yard. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining, save for the old entrance/exit road which is still intact, but is no longer the main entrance to the site.
https://tinyurl.com/2v83989y
A closer address is 972 Columbia Ave, Prentiss, MS.
The drive-in was located at the “Y” of Columbia and MS-42. It appears intact and operational in a 1955 aerial. By 1968, it had been totally demolished and replaced by what is today a small strip mall.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/vjynppj9
A slightly closer address is 4901 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI.
This puts it right where the entrance/exit road use to connect to Plainfield Ave. Although the address of the property has now shifted to Paramount Drive, which did not exist at that time.
There is nothing left of the drive-in.
http://tinyurl.com/ywm99vue
The drive-in was still fully intact in 1987. By 1997, the screen had been removed, but the rest of the drive-in remained. By 2005, it had been fully demolished and the property became a Meijer. No trace of the drive-in remains.
It had been demolished by 1972. Looks like a flea market or similar business was on the property at that time.
A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in behind what would become the Delta Plex Arena.
What’s interesting is the parking overflow which runs alongside the drive-in. It has straight lines for parking, so I doubt it was intended to become a second screen for the drive-in.
A slightly closer address is 5913 MO-13, Higginsville, MO.
This puts it right in the middle of the property.
The drive-in underwent a change from 1957 to 1977. An exit road was created, connecting the back of the drive-in to Hazel Dell Road. In addition, gravel was added which covered the entire grounds. A building next to the exit road was constructed, possibly the concession stand.
By 1997, the drive-in was demolished. By 2010, Hazel Dell Road was altered to run from the exit road through the middle of the property and then connecting with MO-13.
Why the road was altered in this manner is not readily apparent. However, the installation of several large power poles that run from a substation on the east side of MO-13 may be the reason.
Today, the land is private property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A slightly closer address is 2018 9th Ave, Texas City, TX.
This puts it on the NE corner of the intersection about where the entrance road used to be.
The drive-in was still intact in 1969 (though it is hard to tell if it was still operational), and gone by 1982. Replaced by a shopping mall.
http://tinyurl.com/2bh2pwa4
In addition to the outline, entrance, and ramps, the projection booth/concession stand is still standing. Although the building is falling apart. Plus, the foundation of the screen is still present as well.
A 1971 aerial does not show the screen, which is quite prominent in the 1983 aerial. There appears to be some material around the area of where the screen should be located.
Was the screen torn down or perhaps blown down by a storm, then rebuilt? Or, did the drive-in not open until after 1971, which means it didn’t last very long.
I understand that if the sun is directly overhead, seeing the screen might be difficult. But it’s just not there. And aerial photos are time stamped, so unlike topo maps which may contain old information, aerial photos show what was there at the time.
A few parch marks of the ramps remain just to the west of the Ernie’s Canvas Products building. Otherwise, you’d never know a drive-in was once on the property.
The drive-in was still intact in 1981, but was demolished by 1985. Although the screen foundation and general outline was still present.
There appears to be a go-kart track in the 1981 aerial, between the entrance and exit roads. Something that was not present in the 1956 aerial.
Another slightly interesting feature was that the screen in 1956 appears to be a widescreen, something that was just being constructed in drive-ins at the time. Plus, the screen sits a considerable distance from the first row.