West Drive-In
1184 W. Main Street,
Riverton,
WY
82501
1184 W. Main Street,
Riverton,
WY
82501
1 person
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The West Drive-In was opened in July 1949 when it was operated by F.W. Chopping. It was still open in February 1974.
Contributed by
Anthony L. Vazquez-Hernandez
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Found it! The drive-in was located on the west side of town at 1200 W Main St, Riverton, WY. Currently, a Smith’s sits on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining. http://tinyurl.com/zekkakt
A more accurate address for this theater is 1184 W. Main Street, Riverton WY. This points directly to the drive in. Maurice’s women’s clothing store NE of Smith’s is where the theater was located.
The June 18, 1949 issue of BoxOffice reported, “Robert Otwell and W. F. Chopping are building a 300-car, $75,000 drive-in near Riverton, Wyo., equipping it with Motiograph booth equipment and sound and Service Theatre Supply speakers, bought from Ted Knox.”
And a month later, it had opened. The July 16, 1949 BoxOffice noted that, “Bob Otwell and Bill Chopping, owners of the West Drive-In west of town, have begun work on a new theatre to be ready the latter part of September.” That indoor theater was probably the Gem.
The West was still alive on Feb. 18, 1974, when Boxoffice reported that “Steve Hepson of the West Drive-In, Riverton” had visited Denver to talk with his booking agent.
The West is still visible in a 1981 aerial photo but it’s hard to say if it was open.