The Dime opened in 1910 under the patronage of local Toledo Sheriff, James H. Ross. This was the first motion pictures theater in Toledo. Originally, the theater was called the Ross Moving Picture House, but that name didn’t stick. In July 1910, only a month after opening, the name was changed to the Dime Theatre, and that was the cost of admission, at least in 1910 (1). The price rose over the years and settled around 25-50 cents for adult admission (2). Ross was not only the sheriff, but he and his family provided much of the musical accompaniment at the theater. His wife sang, his adult daughter, Verne, sang and played piano, and he occasionally played the violin (3). However, Verne did more than just provide music, because almost immediately after her father opened the theater, she took over ownership and ran the business as her own (4).
The Lincoln County Leader. Jul. 08, 1910. Historic Oregon Newspapers.
Miss Verne Ross was quite the local character. According to records from the Lincoln County Leader that span from 1910 to 1920, Miss Ross not only ran the Dime, but she spent time working as a singer, a deputy, and tax collector, in the Sheriff’s office, a legislative clerk for Salem officials, a stenographer for a real estate agency, a grammar and high school teacher, a grocery store clerk, studying as a student in Berkeley, CA at summer school, and thriving as a socialite around town (5).
As for the Dime, it’s likely there were additional people running the day to day with Miss Ross’s busy life, but those people are a mystery. However that did not take away from the importance the Dime held in Toledo. The programming was far from strictly moving pictures. Other spectacles included live theatrical performances by traveling actors groups, such as the Nashville Club Players, which came to the Dime on multiple occasions bringing crowd-drawing performances (6). Other programming included Minstrel shows (7), Forestry slides (8), lectures– like a lecture given in 1916 about the Hawaiian Islands (9),– musical clubs, benefits for organizations like the Red Cross and the Boy Scouts (10), recruitment for Logging unions (11), and even trained animals (12).
The Lincoln County Leader. Aug. 03, 1917. Historic Oregon Newspapers.
As a community center, the Dime was a staple in Toledo. For instance, the high school and grammar school graduation ceremonies were held at the Dime every year during this period. In 1917, Toledo High School boasted of a big graduating class of 12 students, all of whom not only had their graduation ceremony at the Dime, but performed there in high school benefits and went as patrons (13).
Unfortunately, the finished fate of the Dime is unknown as nearly all mention of the theater vanished from the Lincoln County Leader after 1918. There are faint whispers of its continued operations in 1919 and 1920, but the very last mention of the Dime in this paper occurs on February 4th, 1921, advertising a high school production of “readings and music” (14). It’s clear that whatever came of the Dime, it was a place of community until the very end.
The Lincoln County Leader. Feb. 04, 1921. Historic Oregon Newspapers.
![Toledo [Lincoln County] 1913," Digital Sanborn Maps, 1912 (Proquest, LLC, 2016)](/sites/default/files/styles/mt_testimonial_image/public/2022-05/Screenshot%202022-05-26%20at%205.09.25%20PM.png?itok=KYoAGmPL "The Sanborn Fire map for Toledo in 1913, showing the location of the Dime on Hill St., which is modern day Main St. At this point, the theater shared this buidling, the Ofstedahl building, with another establishment, but in Jan. 1915, the partition that split the building was torn down, doubling the space for the theater. Toledo [Lincoln County] 1913,\" Digital Sanborn Maps, 1912 (Proquest, LLC, 2016)")
