During the early 40's there was a tremendous buildup to World War II. Large amounts of money, manpower and materials were used to build shipyards, airplane plants, tank and truck factories, explosive manufacturing facilities, storage depots, etc. Many of workers that helped build this infrastructure were soon induced into the services and needed training camps. One of the training camps was located at Pando, Colorado and it specialized in mountain training. This camp, Camp Hale, was where the famed 10th Mountain Division was trained.
As the troops were deployed overseas many of the camps were abandoned and the buildings became available for other bases and uses. Black Hills Ordnance Depot was in need of a chapel and acquired one of the chapels from Camp Hale in 1945. In a document that was put together in 1993 for the clean-up work at abandoned bases, it states that a chapel, theater and mess hall were disassembled at Camp Hale, modified and rebuilt at BHOD. A chapel, theater and another building which was used as a skating rink and other uses were built during the same time period. I have not found any further reference to the theater and old mess hall coming from Camp Hale but there is a lot of evidence that the chapel indeed was dismantled at Camp Hale and rebuilt at BHOD.
During the construction of BHOD in 1942, the contractor, J. A. Terteling and Sons, purchased a theater from Lance Creek, Wyoming and had it moved to the work site. As the construction work wound down and the military activity expanded the Government purchased the theater from Terteling. It was called the Lance Theater and was used in that capacity until the big theater was built in 1945.
In the July 9th issue of the Hot Springs Evening Star there is a notice that the Lance Theater which was opened on July 4 is looking for a usherette and cashier. The manager was Mr. W. H. Leadbetter. In the July 13th issue Judge G. C. Caylor of Hot Springs was the guest speaker of the first church services at BHOD and that they were held in the Lance Theater. The July 30th issue of the Evening Star has an article about the renovation of the Lance Theater and mentions that Noah Adams, a Terteling employee was the artist responsible for the artwork and paintings on the walls.
The Black Hills News; 7/23/1942; pg. 4, col. 2; Terteling News; by Virginia Robertson
An interview with Mr. Ledbetter, manager of the Lance theater, reveals that bank night will begin Aug. 4 and 5, and will be every Tuesday and Wednesday thereafter. The pot will start at $25. Drawings will be at 9 p.m. every Wednesday; however, this does not necessarily mean that the individual holding the lucky number has to be there at the time of the drawing. If you register on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening you will be given a courtesy registration slip, and if yours is the lucky number, you may draw your money by presenting your registgration slip.
Midnight shows will be given every Saturday night for the benefit of the men working on swing shift who are unable to see the show at regular hours.
Children under school age are admitted to the afternoon shows free of charge; however, anyone occupying a seat at the evening shows must hold an admission ticket.
The August calendar of coming attractions at the Lance theater includes "Little Foxes," "Suspicion," "Look Who's Laughing," and other excellent pictures.
(ad) LANCE THEATRE
BLACK HILLS ORDNANCE DEPOT
Cool As an Ocean Breeze
Friday - Saturday July 24-25
DOUBLE BILL
Sunday - Monday - Tuesday July 26-27-28
Joan (Academy Award Winner)Fontaine and Cary Grant
"SUSPICION"
Wednesday - Thursday July 29 - 30
Robert Preston and Nancy Kelly in
"PARACHUTE BATTALION"
Matinee: 11c - 30c Nights: 15c - 30c
Anyone occupying a seat at nighttime must have a ticket.
The Lance Theater was moved from Lance Creek, WY to BHOD by the contractor, Terteling and Son, during the spring of 1942. When Terteling moved on, the theater was acquired by the government and used as the Post Theater until 1945. It was located in the area where the new grade school building was built in 1953. (between the High School and Custer Circle)
The Edgemont Tribune; Jan. 10, 1945; The Post Theatre is installing the very latest in sound equipment and other modern equipment which will represent a big investment and afford its patrons the best. Installing of this modern equipment will be completed about January 15, according to Manager Jack McCoy.
The Edgemont Tribune; Jan. 24, 1945; On February 1st, the Post Theatre will be taken over by the Depot and will be operated under the supervision of an Army officer.
| Vol. 1 No. 35 | page 1 | Sept. 5, 1952 |
Properly designated as Building 1105 but more popularly known as “the little theatre”, “the old show-house”, and “the indoor range”, the familiar landmark that stood adjacent to the high school building on Custer Road is but a memory. Workmen from the Post Engineers completed tearing down the old building last week.
Of frame and stucco construction the building had been condemned for public gatherings. Of more recent date, it had been used by the Igloo Rifle Club as an indoor range. Previously it had served as a theatre – at one time being the only source of recreation on the Depot.
Built as a theatre in Lance Creek, Wyo., in anticipation of an oil strike and its attendant boom, the project proved a “bust” as litigation held up development of the oil industry. The “flickers” played to an empty house night after night. Finally the sponsors “threw in the sponge” and the new owners moved the building to Igloo. “Tis said that for some time the show was run continuously round the clock.
Ownership eventually passed into the hands of the government and finally the building was declared unsafe for public gatherings. At last it was condemned to destruction. A great amount of material was salvaged, but due to many remodelings and changes, some parts were not worth the cost of reclaiming and these were relegated to the burning dump. Thus passes into oblivion one of the familiar landmarks on the Igloo horizon.
The site is being cleared and graded and will be readied as a parking lot for teachers and patrons of the school.
The Edgemont Tribune; Oct. 10, 1945; The handsome structure north of the Community Building houses the new Post Theater. It was opened for business in the middle of the week. 76' X 173' 770 capacity. You have to show badges or passes to buy tickets, no non-residents.
The Edgemont Tribune; Oct. 17, 1945; Col. Cambre held a meeting at the new theater - work reduction through attrition.
During the early 40's there was a tremendous buildup to World War II. Large amounts of money, manpower and materials were used to build shipyards, airplane plants, tank and truck factories, explosive manufacturing facilities, storage depots, etc. Many of workers that helped build this infrastructure were soon induced into the services and needed training camps. One of the training camps was located at Pando, Colorado and it specialized in mountain training. This camp, Camp Hale, was where the famed 10th Mountain Division was trained. As the troops were deployed overseas many of the camps were abandoned and the buildings became available for other bases and uses. Black Hills Ordnance Depot was in need of a chapel and acquired one of the chapels from Camp Hale in 1945. In a document that was put together in 1993 for the clean-up work at abandoned bases, it states that a chapel, theater and mess hall were disassembled at Camp Hale, modified and rebuilt at BHOD. A chapel, theater and another building which was used as a skating rink and other uses were built during the same time period. I have not found any further reference to the theater and old mess hall coming from Camp Hale but there is a lot of evidence that the chapel indeed was dismantled at Camp Hale and rebuilt at BHOD.
The theater was rebuilt just north of the community building. The mess hall was rebuilt to the west, across Custer Road from the theater, and was never used as a mess hall to my knowledge. It was used as a skating rink for a period of time. The church was rebuilt just north of the duplexes on the north side of Rushmore Road.
The Walrus; Vol. III, No. 51; page 1; Movie Admission Increased With New Equipment; Installation of CinemaScope equipment in the local theater will result in a change of the admission prices.
The new prices were announced this week by Bill Anderson, theater manager. With the exception of ten wide screen films per year, the adult admission will be fifty cents. The price will be the same for all "1-D" and most of the wide screen shows. Anderson said of the 75 to 100 wide screen films he plans on showing, the exhibitors rental on ten of them will be such that his adult admission will be sixty cents.
High school tickets for all of the shows will remain the same, that is, thirty-five cents. To facilitate change problems and speed up service at the box office, kids tickets have been raised to fifteen cents for all shows.
Anderson said part of the equipment had arrived for the wide screen installation slated for December 22. Factory representatives will arrive from Denver to make the installation after the Post Engineers do some minor carpentry work. "Broken Lance", with an adult admission of sixty cents will be the first CinemaScope shown here, beginning December 23 and extending through December 25.
Jack McCoy was a early manager of the theater. Bill Baldwin was manager in 1947 era. Bill Anderson was manager after that. Woody Hipsher and family ran the theater is the later years.
Dec. 18, 1946; Marie Cerveny is new cashier at Post Theater.
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