Our History

Early Day History

History records that in the early 1840s few white men had crossed the territory which is now Nebraska. The Oregon Trail along the Platte River was found to be the easiest from east to west. The Fort McPherson trail was used extensively in the days of 1863 when a fort was built near North Platte. This trail ran in a south-easterly direction between Medicine and Deer Creeks and thence across the Republican River into Kansas where it connects with a trail to Ft. Hayes. The government used it for hauling provisions and soldiers to the Platte River. Also, buffalo were roaming by the millions on the plains and the Civil War was over. Many soldiers were transferred to Ft. McPherson because the Indians were attacking emigrant wagon trains and pioneer settlers at Plum Creek. The Ft. McPherson trail has no canyons to cross. General Custer used this route in 1867 when he battled with the Sioux Indians in the Little Big Horn. In 1869, Buffalo Bill Cody served as a scout with Major North who led officers and men of the 5^th Cavalry and the Pawnee Scouts into what is now Furnas County. They were looking for Cheyenne and Sioux Indians who had their villages at the mouth of Deer and Medicine Creeks and farther west. After a month of marching, they caught up with the Indians who had fled about 150 miles west on the Frenchman River and not far from the South Platte River. In a surprise attack, 52 Indians were killed, many women and children captured and 25 horses were killed. After this battle, the area which is now Furnas County was free from Indians, or nearly so. Ft. McPherson trail markers were engraved by Frank Neiswanger who had a shop in Cambridge in 1928.

How Cambridge Came To Be

W. E. Babcock, who was one of the most prominent businessmen in Cambridge’s history, was responsible for the name our town now has. It was changed from Medicine Creek to Cambridge when the railroad was built up the valley as far west as Indianola.

When the railroad company was making their preparations for laying of the track through Southwest Nebraska, they called representatives of several of the towns to Oxford. The purpose of the meeting was to give every town a permanent name. And it was on that day that several of the towns in this part of the country were named.

Oxford businessmen decided that their town should be known as Oxford, taking it after the prominent city of Oxford, England. Mr. Babcock thought that if there were going to be an Oxford in the country there should be a Cambridge. This name met with the approval of everyone and immediately the official title of Medicine Creek was changed to Cambridge. In 1880.

This article was taken from the Cambridge Clarion, Thursday, December 6, 1934.

Cambridge is in the northern part of Furnas County, on the Republican River, and is the “jewel” of the Republican valley. It is noted for its fine parks and many tasteful residences, well-maintaining the reputation of tis ancient namesake, Cambridge, England.

 This item was taken from The Omaha Sunday Bee, May 23, 1909.

Cambridge was originally called Pickletown, and under the latter name was laid out in the 1870s by J. W. Pickle. When the railroad was built through the settlement in 1880, the town was renamed Cambridge by railroad officials. The etymology of the name is uncertain: it may have been named after Cambridge, Massachusetts, or after Cambridge in England.

Visit the Butler Memorial Library website for a complete history on Cambridge, NE.