Nevada Round-Up Arch

In 1920 a temporary arch was built across Virginia Street in downtown Reno. The arch advertised the Nevada Round-Up. This arch was north of the railroad tracks and did not last long, but in 1926 the first permanent arch was built in nearly the same location, south of the tracks next to the Elm Hotel (later the Ritz Hotel) in the background.

Date Uploaded: May 10, 2026

Permanent Link: http://wnhpc.com/details/fb10239675137194281

Contributor: Harmony Heywood on Facebook

Source: Facebook: Harmony Heywood

Source URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/276615248516/permalink/10163280054738517

Source Caption: The “first” Reno Arch erected for promotional purposes in 1920

While digging through some old postcards at Sparks Museum & Cultural Center, we came across this one labeled “𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒐’𝒔 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒄𝒉 – 1920.”
After a little research, we discovered this temporary promotional arch predated the iconic Reno Arch built in 1926. It was erected in nearly the same location as today’s arch on Virginia Street.
This gateway was created to promote the 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝-𝐔𝐩, a huge 4th of July western celebration newspapers at the time called it “𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒐’𝒔 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆,” featuring rodeo contests, parades, racing, and carnival attractions.
This postcard shows Reno had a gateway arch spanning Virginia Street six years before the famous Reno Arch was built in 1926.
Just another reminder… you never know what pieces of history you’ll uncover when digging through the museum archives!

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