"Fall River lies in an area where the Taunton River flows into the Mount Hope Bay. The Quequechan River flows through the city. The city's name comes from Falling Water, the translation of Quequechan, a Native American name. Settlers from Plymouth Colony purchased part of what is now Fall River from the Wampanoags, a Native American tribe, in 1659. In the Battle of Fall River, fought in 1778 during the Revolutionary War in America, the townspeople put up a strong defense against a British force. From 1804 until 1834, Fall River was actually called Troy. The name was officially changed to Fall River in 1834. From the 1870's until the 1920's, Fall River was the largest center in the United States for the manufacture of cotton textiles. Fall River has a Mayor-City Council form of government."1

1 Laurence A. Lewis, "Fall River," Discovery Channel School, original content provided by World Book Online, http://www.discoveryschool.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozgeography/f/190660.html