Texan Theater - Junction, TX
N 30° 29.365 W 099° 46.036
14R E 426363 N 3373269
The Texan Theater, Junction's downtown movie theater, opened in the 1930s along the Old Spanish Trail.
Waymark Code: WMTV0H
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2017
Views: 2
Like almost all the small Texas towns along the Old Spanish Trail, that part of the OST as it passes through Junction is named "Main Street."
As of 1969, the entire route of the former OST through Junction (including Main Street) was redesignated State Loop 481 to serve as a business route for the reroute of the US 290 north of town (preparing for the day to come where the US 290 would become the I-10).
Wikipedia proves that Texas SL 481 was formerly co-signed as US 83 and US 290. The US 83 came in from the south and joined US 290 east of Junction, where the two roads headed west through town. North of town, US 83 diverged from US 290, and continued north to the Oklahoma border.
US 290 entered Junction from the east, joined with US 83 and left US 83 to continue west to El Paso. Therefore, SL 481 is clearly the former route of the Old Spanish Trail. (
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Junction's Texan Theater opened in the 1930s, replacing the first movie theater in Junction which operated sporadically in the Old Rock Store beginning in 1912.
The Texan, with its sleek Art Deco signage and neon star on top, lit up the courthouse square and must've been a visually striking presence in the OST era. Located at 648 Main, travelers on the Old Spanish Trail passed right in front of this theater. Perhaps they used the OST to come here from other communities, or perhaps they were traveling through, but saw an enticing movie marquee and decided to stop.