Satellite Drive-In
Thief River Falls, Minnesota1952-1986
Order Satellite Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Thief River Falls, Minnesota, drive-in opened in 1952 as the 59 Hi Drive-In, and its sign was a big white globe studded with short spikes on its own pole. A photo of a crane taking the sign apart shows the marquee reading Thief River Falls, open 1952, closed 86, and the Minnesota Historical Society now holds it. Browse the styles below, and the full Satellite history is further down. We are an American small business bringing back the signs and logos of places and teams that are long gone but remembered fondly.
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Satellite Drive-In History
The Satellite Drive-In in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, opened in 1952 as the 59 Hi Drive-In, on U.S. 59 at the edge of town. Gottford Olson owned it. It had one screen and room for 250 cars. In 1967 Olson sold it to J. Hickerson, and that is the first year a source shows the name Satellite, though no one says exactly when it changed.
The sign was the attraction. A big white globe studded with short spikes stood on its own pole, and next to it a long banner read Satellite Drive In in script, with a spiky star at the tip. It was a fair way to bring the space age to a town near the Canadian border. Church services were held on the roof of the concession stand, and a stage was added later.
The theater closed in 1986. A photo from the town's history collection shows a crane truck taking the sign apart, with the marquee reading Thief River Falls, open 1952, closed 86. The Minnesota Historical Society now holds the marquee. The screen later burned, and the projection house was left standing. The Falls Cinema is in front of the site, and in 2016 most of the ramps could still be seen behind it.