Trail Drive-In
U.S. 87 and Br. Michael Jenkins Road,
Clayton,
NM
88415
U.S. 87 and Br. Michael Jenkins Road,
Clayton,
NM
88415
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I located a drive in theater southeast of Clayton, NM on Highway 87 near CR A028. This one could have been the Trail Drive-In which was opened in 1950, and was operated by Murphy Theatres of Raton, NM. By 1957 it was operated by Gibraltar Enterprises Inc. It has been closed for a long time but is still visible on aerial maps.
In spring of 2021, Jacqueline V. Padilla, daughter of a previous manager of the drive-in, purchased the 13-acre site with a view to leasing the site.
Contributed by
Brian Blakley
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
There are several pictures of the remains of the Trail Drive-in taken from 2002-2011 on its gallery page at Drive-ins.com.
Approx. location for this drive-in was about 2 blocks west of U.S. 87 & Bell.
The ticket booth, ramps and concession building are still clearly visible on Google Earth as I type.
The drive-in shows up on the 1973 topo map at Historic Aerials. It looks active from the 1969 aerial photo, and the screen is still there in 1997. It’s still on the 2001 topo map, but by the 2005 aerial photo, the screen is gone.
A closer address is US-87 & Dr Michael Jenkins Rd, New Mexico 88415.
The drive-in sits about ½ mile west of the intersection on the north side of the highway. The aerial photo shows the entrance, outline, ramps, concession stand, and screen which is laying down.
http://tinyurl.com/y3j88tq4
Boxoffice, Jan. 7, 1950: “CLAYTON, N. M. – Construction of a drive-in will be started here this spring by Hubbard & Murphy Theatres, Inc., which operates indoor houses here and in Raton and Alamosa, N. M., and Del Norte, Colo.”
the marquee is also laying on the ground!
Motion Picture Herald, July 5, 1952: “Tom Murphy has opened his new 330-car drive-in, the Trail, at Clayton, N. M., it is being managed by his brother, William Murphy.”