Why a 19th-century Illinois settlement was once mistaken for a blue-tinted island
In short: Long before it became a brick-making powerhouse, Blue Island earned its name from a strange optical illusion. Early settlers observed that the timber-covered ridge appeared to float in a blue haze, creating the mirage of an island surrounded by water. This unique geography shaped the city's history and its identity.
Established in the 1830s as a vital way station on the Vincennes Trace, Blue Island served as a day's journey from Chicago. The city's name originated from a mirage that made the forested ridge appear to float in a blue, smoke-like haze. This visual phenomenon was so striking that hunters referred to the area as Blue Island, a name later solidified when the first permanent settler, Norman Rexford, established a post office there in 1838.
The city's economic trajectory was defined by its industrial versatility. By the 1850s, the discovery of rich clay deposits transformed Blue Island into the brick-making capital of the world. At its peak, the Clifton Brickyard alone produced 150,000,000 bricks annually by 1900. Beyond manufacturing, the town served as a hub for the Rock Island Railroad and hosted a thriving brewery industry until the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited alcohol in 1919. The city also briefly contended with a rival plat called Portland, which attempted to use the name for its own post office in 1839, though the state legislature eventually mandated the name Blue Island in 1843.
Today, Blue Island retains a deep connection to its past through its architecture. The city features a diverse built environment, ranging from vernacular structures to designs by notable architects like Adler and Sullivan and Bertrand Goldberg. While the commercial landscape has shifted from the department stores of the 1970s to modern antique shops and galleries, the city continues to preserve its heritage. From the historic American House—originally a courthouse moved by raft from Indiana—to the USS Blue Island Victory, a World War II cargo ship, the city’s legacy remains embedded in its physical and cultural landscape.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Blue Island, Illinois
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