World's Largest Elk Antler Arch

Afton's main street runs under a gateway built from thousands of shed elk antlers, paid for and built largely by local Chamber of Commerce members. According to the Star Valley Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce members and others conceived the idea in the early summer of 1956 and applied to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for the antlers. Most came from the Wyoming Elk Preserve near Jackson. A 2021 Star Valley WY blog post says Boy Scouts had gathered antlers as a project in 1955, and that the town set a steel frame over four lanes of road and screwed the antlers to it.

The historical society says the arch was finished in July 1958 at a cost of approximately $2,500, raised by Chamber members through contributions, donated labour and part of their regular fees. It adds that the same antlers would cost more than $300,000 to replace, by its estimate, and that the arch has been repaired and added to since, with a yearly coating of a special plastic finish.