Backwater

Have you ever heard a town called a backwater? Ever wonder what it means? The term was coined during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It refers to a town located in the near upriver area behind a mill dam. The millpond prevented the water in the river from having enough drop or current to turn a mill wheel, so there could not be a mill wheel to power manufacturing in that town. It was in the backwater of the nearby industrialized town, so it could not have the industry or growth associated with the power supplied by a mill wheel.