Let’s Go to the Movies: Historic Theaters in the West

5 Locations | Curated by Melissa Valenzuela, Northern Arizona University

As films and movie theaters became increasingly popular modes of entertainment in the twentieth-century United States, the Intermountain West followed suit as families, migrants, and entrepreneurs established, renovated, and managed movie theaters to meet the growing demands. Movie theaters were more than just places for films and entertainment, though. As community spaces, theaters have been sites of desegregation and civil rights, community building in frontier towns, and technological innovation.


Ranging across Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada, this tour explores five historic movie theaters in the Intermountain West.

From hosting the premiere of the 1960 American classic Ocean’s Eleven, to standing against racial discrimination, the history of the Fremont Theatre is a lost treasure in the Las Vegas desert.
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The first theater in Grangeville to play talking pictures, the Blue Fox introduced a modern form of entertainment to this small Idaho town. It also hosted school plays and live music, and it continues to serve the community’s entertainment needs.
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Designed in the 1950s at the height of America’s drive-in theater trend, the Spud provided residents of Teton County, Idaho, with an exciting cinematic experience. It has gained national attention for its service and its mascot “Old Murphy,” an oversized fake potato.
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Built in 1913, the historic Park Theatre is one of the oldest buildings in Estes Park, Colorado. It has provided generations of Coloradoans with entertainment and continues to be a community favorite.
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The 1950s were known for their fast and fashionable cars. Salt Lake City’s Redwood Drive-in provided these automobile enthusiasts with an impressive alternative to their movie-going experience, complete with magic moonglow and pony rides.
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