Quequechan is an Algonkian word meaning “falling water.” The river features a dramatic drop, falling 130 feet within a distance of 2,300 feet, according to “A River and Its City.” The river is 2 miles long, from the head at South Watuppa Pond to the dam that was built at Third Street. The river was home to many native tribes, and in fact was the site of the main camp of Weetamoe, the squaw sachem of the Pocasset.

During Colonial times, the Quequechan powered sawmills and grist mills, as well as “fulling” mills – fulling involved cleaning cloth and making it thicker. Eventually, iron manufacturing grew out of a shipbuilding partnership between Major Bradford Durfee and Colonel Richard Borden. Fall River Iron Works was built on the banks of the Quequechan in 1821, at the corner of Davol and Anawan streets.