We’ll Try

I have always wondered why Fall River, MA, has such a goofy motto. In case you don’t know, it is “We’ll Try.” Odd isn’t it? Sounds sort of half-hearted, kind of like we will get to it when we feel like it sort of customer service excuse.

Fall River used to be the “Spindle City” — because it was the textile capital of the world.

Well, I found out where this feeble sounding motto came from, and while I still don’t care much for it, it helps explain the why of things. I found it in an April 6, 2003 Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News article by Daniel Barbarisi.

The motto was born of one of Fall River’s many great fires — this one, in 1843. The city’s residents resolved to rebuild from the ruins, and their efforts spawned the hopeful “We’ll Try.” It stuck, and for years has adorned both police cruisers and the city seal.

Ok. It came from adversity and from a time long ago when “We’ll Try” was a positive spin on a dark and tragic era. But now this phrase is without teeth. And the chief of police agrees:

But it’s not easy being a tough cop, when “We’ll Try” is emblazoned on your sleeve. “Other departments have always poked fun at the Fall River Police Department for that motto,” said Police Chief John M. Souza. “They have seen it and ridiculed it.”

One of Souza’s first actions, upon becoming police chief two years ago, was to have the city seal and its wimpy motto stricken from Fall River’s police cars, and replaced with a codification of the department’s mission statement: Service, Pride and Commitment.

The article details Mayor Lambert’s attempt to change the motto to the “Scholarship City”, saying, “Honesty, I think it’s a good name for the future.” In an informal poll of ten Fall River residents, 80% thought that their city’s nickname was “Spindle City.” The article concludes with words of wisdom from Michael Martins:

Michael Martins, curator of the Fall River Historical Society, said that whether it’s spindle or scholarship or another title, these are trivia questions, at best. They are the realm of the historian, the public relations person, or, perhaps worse, the know-it-all.

“None of those are really used in conversation anymore,” Martins said. “In the 19th century, sure, Fall River would have been known as the Spindle City.” Now, he said, “I think using it would just be someone’s attempt to be pretentious.”

To date, Fall River’s motto is still “We’ll Try.” If they don’t change it, they might at least consider removing the contraction. Perhaps “Well Try” would make people find it quaint instead of foolish.
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