For nearly a century, towns across America have erected welcome arches across the main street into town. Many are now gone, but others survive, though some have been moved from their original location to a park or another street. This page shows the arches I've photographed. Click here for postcard views of these and other arches. ![]() Welcome arch of elk antlers, Afton, WY (erected 1958) ![]() Night view of arch over State Street, the dividing line between Bristol, VA and Bristol, TN. Arch erected 1915; slogan adopted 1921. ![]() Welcome arch over Galena Avenue, the route of the old Lincoln Highway, Dixon, IL. First arch erected 1919 as a World War memorial; this one, the fourth, dates to 1985. ![]() Welcome arch over Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA. This was the main route into town when the first arch was erected in 1917; now it's a hard-to-find back route in the warehouse district. ![]() Welcome arch, Lodi, CA -- built 1907, the oldest in America still in its original location and a registered state landmark. ![]() Rock Springs, WY welcome arch -- originally stood astride the Lincoln Highway, but was recently renovated and relocated to a local park. ![]() Welcome arch at the border between Binghamton and Johnson City, New York: believe it or not, originally erected by workers at the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company to honor their employer. Inscription reads "Home of the Square Deal." ![]() 100th Meridian Arch, Cozad, NE, astride the Lincoln Highway at the west edge of town. ![]() Welcome arch in Modesto, CA: "Water Wealth Contentment Health." The arch, and the slogan, date to 1912. ![]() Clovis, CA welcome arch -- this version erected 1951 ![]() Arch in Pleasanton, CA -- erected 1931, long before the Silicon Valley era ![]() Fairfield, CA arch, originally erected 1925 ![]() Burlingame, CA arch, dating to 1927 ![]() Castroville, CA arch, promoting the local Artichoke Festival that began the day after I took this photo ![]() Old Reno, NV welcome arch, which stood across Virginia Street from 1935-64. It was subsequently restored and re-erected in a quieter area... ![]() ...while this 1987 model now welcomes the tourists to downtown Reno. ![]() Welcome arch across US 61, looking southbound at the Missouri-Arkansas line. This photo was taken in 1992; the arch is still there, with somewhat more attention being paid to its upkeep. ![]() Welcome arch, Grants Pass, OR: erected 1977, a near-duplicate of a 1920 arch ![]() Orland, CA welcome arch, erected across the Pacific Highway in July 1926 -- five months before it became U.S. 99 ![]() Welcome arch, Weed, CA; this version dates to 1990, its predecessors to 1920 ![]() Williams, CA welcome arch -- erected 1917, restored 1986 ![]() Willits, CA welcome arch -- built on the frame used for the 1964-87 Reno, NV arch ![]() Yreka, CA welcome arch -- once stood above the street, now relegated to a traffic island at the town's main Interstate exit. Note: Many of the facts herein are taken from Bernard C. Winn's Arch Rivals: 90 Years of Welcome Arches in Small-Town America (1993), the definitive -- and only? -- book on the subject. Back to ROADSIDEPHOTOS.COM home page |