If you've ever wondered where the name “I Will Chicago” comes from, look no further than the Chicago flag flying outside just about every building in the city. Designed by Wallace Rice and adopted in 1917, it's consistently ranked one of the best-designed city flags in the country — and every part of it means something.
Two Light Blue Bars, Three White Stripes
The two horizontal light-blue bars represent water: the top bar stands for Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River, and the bottom bar stands for the South Branch of the river and the Sanitary & Ship Canal. The three white stripes represent the North, West, and South Sides of the city.
Four Stars, Four Chapters of Chicago History
The flag's four red, six-pointed stars were added over more than two decades, and each one marks a turning point in the city's story:
Fort Dearborn (added 1939) — commemorates the fort built in 1803 at the mouth of the Chicago River, and the flags that flew over the region before it: France, Great Britain, Virginia, the Northwest Territory, and Illinois.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (original to the 1917 flag) — marks the fire that destroyed much of the city, and the rebuilding that followed. Its six points stand for transportation, labor, commerce, finance, population growth, and public health.
The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (original to the 1917 flag) — honors the World's Fair that put Chicago on the world stage. Its points represent religion, education, aesthetics, justice, benevolence, and civic pride.
The Century of Progress Exposition of 1933 (added 1933) — marks Chicago's second World's Fair. This is the star where our name comes from: one of its six points stands for the city's motto, “I Will,” alongside Chicago's Latin motto Urbs in Horto (“City in a Garden”), its status at the time as the country's second-largest city, and its nicknames as the Great Central Marketplace, Wonder City, and Convention City.
Why “I Will”
“I Will” has stood for Chicago's resolve since the years after the Great Chicago Fire — a city that burned down and rebuilt itself taller. It's that same spirit of rebuilding, reinvention, and civic pride that runs through every print in our shop, from the landmarks Chicago rebuilt after the fire to the places the city has since lost. It felt like the only name that fit.
Explore the rest of Chicago's story across our full collection of midcentury-style art prints.
Source: Flag of Chicago, Wikipedia; Chicago Public Library, “Chicago Facts: Municipal Flag.”