Fall River's textile industry and early settlement history

Fall River experienced its success, starting from the 1930s and saw its downfall till the 1930s. It was known as one of the most famous textile areas of the United States. The land of the falling river, Quequechan, harbor, possess a moist climate encouraged the ever-flourishing textiles and commerce in the area as early as 1811. It was mainly dominated by the Portuguese community and was witnessed sheltering US Navy battleships and personnel.

Fall River's physiography and natural resources have been a source of success for the place itself. It is located on eth east shore of Mount Hope Bay and at the start of Taunton River, which is 19 miles south of Providence situated on Rhode Island. Two lakes were present in a chain that was half a mile eastward[footnoteRef:1]. The waters of this area find their way out through Quequechan River towards the west into the bay. Fall River's early lands were populated with reeds, bushes, forests, lakes, and the river where wild animals and birds were seen taking their places. This was not deemed a favorable place for the early inhabitants whose main occupation was fishing and farming. The initial settlers were Indians who were not friendly, and wild beasts were seen roaming in the area. The immigrant people were afraid of landing in the area; however, the land's fertility was not much resisted by the people later, along with the solid and granite rocks and minerals that attracted opportunities for agriculture. Fish, water, and wood were in abundance that could be easily available and shipped from the location. [1: Arthur Sherman Phillips, The Phillips History of Fall River, Massachesetts: Dover Press, 1946, pg. 3.]

The first people who started living in Fall River had a hard life preparing the soil for cultivation and plantation of crops. The threat of wolves was always persistent for the people; however, older people provided solace by providing food and necessary life materials. The food they liked to eat included fish, meat, and fruits.
In 1878, a factory was established for the manufacturing of menhaden oil and fertilizer so that crops could be made better. More than two hundred men were hired during the fishing season. People who loved near the shores, especially those who were the early settlers from the Pilgrims, satisfied their hunger mainly with fish. Though fishing never became the primary source of earning and prosperity for the people of Fall River, profits from the neighboring colonizers were utilized to form textile manufacturing in the area.
The textile mills used the waters from the Quequechan River, and Fall River steam was used for running the factories that produced cotton. From 1843, the use of steam power quickly improved. With this advancement, steam was even used for producing electricity for the region, and its connection was made with steam engines and generators.

The Indian people were the first settlers in Fall River, as it is evident from the scattered stones in the lands. They hunt fishes and used the land for camping purposes where they planted beans, corns, pumpkins, etc. The people from White to be counted in first settlers are not stated with certainty[footnoteRef:2]. The soil of the land created fossils that showed signs of Whites before King Phillip's war. The early settlers were also reported to be from Plymouth, Rhode Island, Boston, and Duxbury. The legal documents available from that time showed that they were diligent, well-educated, and nonviolent. Fall River was initially a part of Plymouth Colony before Freeman's purchase, and its northern part was associated with Freetown. The Indians were interested in gaining education but were not ready to convert to Christianity. The direct or indirect descending was observed from Mayflower passengers, Plymouth or Massachusetts colonies. They were either Baptists or Quakers who demanded the split between church and the state. Quakers seemed to be predominant with their teaching skills and considered a rising generation within the educational field. They were naturally kind, even to negro slaves, and served to abolish the legal system of slavery by the State Constitution in 1780. [2: Henry M Fenner and Benjamin Buffington, History of Fall River, New York: FT Smiley Pub, 1906, pg. 8]

During those times in Fall River, home-produced goods were consumed. Where there were water and mills, productions were seen in profusion. The currency was not sufficient for trade, but a small barter trade system was also seen in the exchange of farm products, especially for taxes. In 1789, schools were established in Massachusetts. Holidays were not taken in winters, and no social or recreational traveling was done; however, people went away from homes in mild or summer seasons. There was a lack of modern life conveniences during the Colonial period, like telephones, telegraph, railroads, etc. Sanitary services were poor; still, the people living was strong, and they sought to have improved lives with cultivation and production. The farm life was also flourishing since the production of milk and eggs and caretaking of farm animals was also the occupation of Fall River's local people.

The most dominant ethnic group was the Portuguese that change the shape of Fall River[footnoteRef:3]. They entered the region in the late 1800s and marked their place by working in the whaling industry while others in the cotton mills. They came back in the 1960s that entirely modified the place with their positive impact on the area. Their entry was made possible with the alterations in the immigration policy. In the National Origins Act of 1924, the goal was to maintain an ethnic balance for the immigrants, with which Portuguese were seen infiltrating the place soon. The sudden extensive immigration was due to the economic deprivation and tyranny in Portugal and Azores. The Azores were the islands where Portuguese immigrants were seen residing far from Massachusetts. Nationwide, Portuguese immigration results were seen ascending with the change in immigration policies in the United States. Fall River that was reviewed as an aging industrial land by that time, was seen accepting positive effects from this immigration. [3: Marc Munroe Dion, "Potuguese a great force in Fall River”, The Herald News, February 26, 2003: 19-20.]

The whaling and textile industry thrived when the incoming Portuguese started buying property and played their textile business role. They gathered in the garments shops and spent their saved money. When Portuguese immigrants wanted to land in America, they had to get debt for paying airplane fares, visa dues, and apartment rents. When a plethora of these immigrants arrived, the Portuguese culture started to explode in Fall River. The restaurants, cultural organizations, and their respective religious meals were arranged to accommodate the new coming ethnic group. The Portuguese museums and cultural centers were established with state fundings, private resourcing, and even from the Portuguese government. An Azorean zoo with animals to pet was made for the Portuguese entertainment and boats for boarding and riding. This data was obtained from the news articles when the economic conditions of Fall River were also noticed to bloom.
When they entered Fall River, the wages for Portuguese-Americans were lower than those to which they were accustomed to in the Azores[footnoteRef:4]. They existed with other migrant groups like French Canadians, Irish, and Italians, etc. They soon became part of the cotton industry with low daily wages. Fall River's worker policies were far better at that time with short labor hours, superior working conditions, restriction on child labor, flexible holidays and workdays off, etc. [footnoteRef:5] [4: Cristiana Bastos, "Migrants, Inequalities and Social Research in the 1920s: The Story of Two Portuguese Communities in New England”, History and Anthrolpology, 2018: 163-183.] [5: Henry M Fenner and Benjamin Buffington, History of Fall River, New York: FT Smiley Pub, 1906, pg. 74]

Fall River was regarded as the land of opportunity since the industries and businesses were on the rise. When America's well-known editors advised people to go west for success, a young man Horace Greeley did the opposite and traveled east to Fall River. He found success here[footnoteRef:6]. He realized that his goals for life were met in Fall River and stayed a Congressman here for years, which implied success for him. Moreover, an interview with a fisherman, Captain Joseph Captiva, revealed that times were prosperous when Portuguese people and Yankees worked hard those days and lived happily together[footnoteRef:7]. The children were seen playing merrily, and the grown-ups earned well. They celebrated Christmas and ate dinners. The government had put restrictions on immigrants' incoming in those days; however, it became unexpected for the city government when the influx rose to five thousand and more to come. [6: Fall River Trade and Industry Association, Fall River, Massachusetts, A Publication of Personal Points Pertaining to a City of Opportunity, 1911, pg. 31] [7: Captain Joseph Captiva interview by Alice D. Kell, 1938]

It was also considered a perfect place for transcending from Portugal and Azores because of the booming whaling industry in Fall River. New Bedford was considered the world's capital of whaling. The ships went on voyages for whaling for two to three years. The ships stopped at the Azores to get basic necessities for living and got boys for help. The whaling industry still kept declining, the wages for this work kept dropping, and American whaling people could not find employment. When they came back, Azorean boys or men started to pour in Fall River, where working conditions and provisions were much better than the Azores. The whaling business faced a decline in 1860, and that was the time when textiles started horsing. It replaced the fishing jobs since women knew how to sew and gave their services in the textiles. Mostly, the Portuguese were farmers and had no other experience in any field. They stayed in Fall River as they realized that economic conditions were far better here with more employment opportunities as compared to Portugal and Azores islands. The ability of the Portuguese to stay in clusters set this ethnic group apart from the other co-existing ones in Fall River at that time, which is still evident on Columbia Street, known as the Portuguese neighborhood just as it was 150 years back.