Wrinkle2 Wave Shoot: Falls in Lowell Massachusetts The falls here along the Merrimack River, along with the many huge empty mill buildings, spoke of the importance of water as a resource to the early economy of this mill town. As the country moved from wool to cotton and the textile industry moved closer to the cotton fields of the south, Lowell, along with many of the other mill towns in the Northeast, went through a long period of depression. Recently Lowell has had something of a revival with many of the buildings being converted for other uses, including a rather nice textile mill museum. Though the water no longer has an economic purpose, it still winds it way through the town through a series of canals and locks that are quite quaint but make driving through very confusing.