On October 23, 1926, Reno raised a steel arch over Virginia Street. It marked the completion of the Lincoln and Victory Highways and helped promote a 1927 highways exposition.
When the exposition ended, residents had grown fond of the arch, so the city kept it and ran a slogan contest. An entrant from Sacramento named Burns won $100 for "Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World."
A larger arch with plastic panels and a rotating star replaced the first one in 1963. The arch you are standing under today was installed in 1987.