The Reno Arch (original) - Reno, NV
N 39° 31.539 W 119° 48.585
11S E 258490 N 4378881
The original Reno Arch was erected in 1926 to help promote an exposition that celebrated the completion of the Lincoln Highway and is now located on Lake Street, a few blocks south of 4th Street, the original Lincoln Highway.
Waymark Code: WMMEJ1
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 09/09/2014
Views: 4
Most visitors to 'The Biggest Little City in the World' focus their attention on the current flashy and shiny
Reno Arch that resides on S Virginia Street downtown. What many visitors don't realize is the smaller, but more historical arch that resides here on Lake Street. The nearby National Automobile Museum is a great place to visit and complements this arch very well, considering its ties to the historic Lincoln Highway. A plaque monumented on the east leg of the arch notes the Lincoln Highway and reads:
THE RENO ARCHTHIS ARCH WAS ORIGINALLY ERECTED ON VIRGINIA STREET AT COMMERCIAL ROW IN 1926 TO PROMOTE AN EXPOSITION THAT CELEBRATED THE COMPLETION OF THE LINCOLN AND VICTORY HIGHWAYS. ELECTRIC BULBS SPELLED OUT "RENO" AND "NEVADA'S TRANSCONTINENTAL HIGHWAYS EXPOSITION, JUNE 25 - AUG 1 1927." FOLLOWING THE EVENT A CONTEST WAS HELD BY THE CITY COUNCIL TO FIND A SLOGAN FOR THE ARCH. IN 1929, A SACRAMENTO MAN WON $100 FOR HIS ENTRY, "RENO, THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITY IN THE WORLD." BY 1934 SOME CITIZENS FELT THAT THE SLOGAN WAS PASSÉ, SO IT WAS ELIMINATED AND REPLACED WITH "RENO" IN GREEN NEON. THE CHANGE WAS NOT WELL ACCEPTED. IN 1935 THE SLOGAN RETURNED WITH REDESIGNED NEON LETTERING. THE ARCH REMAINED THERE UNALTERED UNTIL 1963 WHEN IT WAS REPLACED BY A NEW ONE. THE OLD ARCH FIRST MOVED TO THE ORIGINAL SITE OF THE EXPOSITION, IDLEWILD PARK AND THEN TO PARADISE PARK. IN 1988, DUE TO ITS BADLY DETERIORATING BASE, OFFICIALS PLACED IT IN STORAGE.IN 1994 FILMAKERS PAID FOR THE RESTORATION AND INSTALLATION OF THE ARCH ON EAST FOURTH STREET FOR ITS "SUPPORTING ROLE" IN THE MOVIE COBB. AFTER THE FILMING, THE RENO CITY COUNCIL LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO FIND A PERMANENT HOME. RECONSTRUCTED HERE IN 1995 THE ARCH ONCE AGAIN PROUDLY WELCOMES VISITORS TO DOWNTOWN RENO.
MARKER PLACED BY THE HISTORICAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
2003
There is another historical marker located a number of feet north of this arch and also mentions Reno's ties to the Lincoln Highway. Parts of it read:
America Goes Mobile
During the 1910s and 1920s, highways were built so people could drive in their new automobiles across the country. At the same time, Reno became famous for quick divorces and easy marriages. In 1913, a private consortium led by Carl G. Fisher decided to build the transcontinental Lincoln Highway from New York to San Francsisco. Reno and Carson City became important junctions along the highway which would become (U.S. 50).
Constructed 1925, the Victory Highway (U.S. 40) ran from Reno through the Truckee Canyon over the Sierra Nevada range and into Sacramento.
Reno has served as a commercial redistribution point for Western manufacturers and distributors for the past 120 years. Today, Reno's convenient location and transportation routes have spurred the warehousing and logistic industries, which continue to be the underlying current of economic development in the region.
There is much history to be found throughout Reno, one only has to look around and they will see a marker here or there, much like this placard. If you're not the gambling type, tour the city instead and appreciate the history there is to offer here.