September 17, 2024 -- Chinook, Montana -- A Few More Photos

The Red Rock Drive-In is located on the west side of the town and sits just to the north of the airport. Owned and operated by L. Eliason, the Red Rock Drive-In was opened on May 22, 1957. Today, the drive-in is closed and the property is now a truck trailer yard.

However, the screen is still standing.

The Dec. 12, 1977 Boxoffice ran an obituary of Herbert Bonifas, who “built the Blaine Theatre, a 450-seat house, in 1948. This replaced the Orpheum and Gem Theatres opened in 1911 by his father-in-law, Johnnie Griffin. The Red Rock Drive-In was opened in 1957. When land was needed for a rest home in the community, he gave part of the Drive-In acreage for it, and when it was built, he wired in sound for the benefit of the guests who had a clear view of the screen. In 1973 he sold the theatres to Leon Eliason and retired”.

Boxoffice, May 11, 1957: “CHINOOK, MONT. – Three people in this area were winners in a contest … for naming the new drive-in theatre at the west side of town. Red Rock is the name chosen for the new drive-in.” (The winner and two other entrants, suggesting Spur and Many Moons, won annual passes.)

Boxoffice, June 15, 1957: “Chinook’s newest enterprise, the Red Rock Drive-in Theatre, was opened to the public recently for the first time by Herb Bonifas. The Red Rock, which will accommodate 200 cars, is equipped with RCA sound and has a CinemaScope screen.”