Gurnee History: 1936: Waukegan Outdoor Theater Traditional Cache
Gurnee History: 1936: Waukegan Outdoor Theater
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Gurnee was settled in 1835 and became a farming community. The community was originally called Wentworth, and the name changed to Gurnee in 1873.
The Story
The Waukegan Outdoor Theater opened in 1949, and might have been the first in the Chicagoland area. There was space for about 900 cars with 300 car overflow parking and there was one screen. They offered kiddie carnival rides.
1943 Waukegan Drive in Ad
1949 Waukegan Drive in Ad
1950 Waukegan Drive in billboard
1953 Aerial view of the Waukegan Drive in before Route 41 ramp
1961 Aerial view of the Waukegan Drive in with Route 41 ramp
Gurnee Glenn said you used to be able to park on Washington Street and watch the movies.
The Waukegan Drive-In closed in 1982, and was torn down a few years later to make way for industrial development. I put this as Gurnee History since the address is for Gurnee. I am guessing it was called Waukegan because the town was bigger than Gurnee and it was the county seat.
References
Krefft, Bryan. Waukegan Drive-In. Cinema Treasures. 31 December 2012. Web. 20 Jan 2015.
Waukegan Drive-In – Facts and Highlights.. Drive-ins.com. ND. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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