Grand Theatre

The tiny village of Amidon hit its high water mark of 145 residents leading to the opening of its only movie theatre - the Grand Theatre - in 1917 by W.J. Johnson. A crowd of 35 and three employees were almost killed at a November 12, 1927 screening in which the theatre’s gas generator filled the venue with carbon monoxide knocking out the projectionist, Tony Katheryn, and then several more folks. Given that 25% of the town’s population was there, the local newspaper called the near-death screening one that could depopulate the town of Amidon. But fortunately nobody was killed.

When sound came to Hollywood, the 100-seat Grand Theatre couldn’t afford the transition to talkies. And the odds of a modern sound theatre seemed slim there as the 1990 Amidon population was at 24 people and 2025 the estimate was just 21.

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