stood still during the war. M. C. Seal & Co. had secured the only store in the place by 1865; this was on Lot 8, Block 16, Water Street. This store has been the leading one, and has been successively owned by G. M. Maxwell & Co., Maxwell, King & Co., and Baldwin & Maxwell. Besides this store in 1865 there was a post-office, hotel, drug store, mill, wagon-shop, etc., and about 200 people. Nevada and Colo were the main depots for them. In 1868 Dr. Hays began building, and his enterprise was such that it was pleasantly said of him, that " Doc. would build a railroad for us if we'd give him a hundred dollars." His two buildings on Lot 2, Block 28, Water Street, arose in 1868, and the brick store soon after. Seal Bros. soon built also, and there was a quiet slow improvement. The Maxwell store was burned in 1878 and rebuilt. Among others here by this time were John D. Breezely, Mr. Gillett, D. Whitehead, A. P. King, W. P. Clark, J. C. Kinsell, Samuel Maxim, James Mallory and others.
The news of a railway in 1881, when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul people were surveying, put new life into the place. In order to insure a depot at Cambridge, the citizens made up $1,700 to pay the right of way through the township. The depot and coaling outfit was put up at the foot of Water Street, and business took a boom down that street. An effort was made to put it about the depot, but that failed. The Grafton and Livingstone & Rodearmal buildings went up that year, but the greatest boom was in 1882, when buildings arose much as at present on Blocks 30, 28 and 15 on Water Street. Others went up on this street between First and Second Streets. After 1882 the growth was not so marked, on account of the location of Elwell and Huxley Stations. About three years later, also, the most of the buildings on Block 30 were burned. Quiet improvement has been making, however, in residences, and the population is about 500.
General merchandise leads all the life of the place, and their excellent schools are a factor very near to this in importance, as many locate on that account. Stock and grain would come about next, while implement sale, banking and manufacture would follow, probably, in that order. In the factory line are the creamery, the mill, repair shops, and the manufacture, near town, of a patent hog-pen and cattle-poke on a small scale. There are also two elevators. The depot coaling station, the only one between Perry and Ferguson, receives about seventy to 100 cars of coal monthly, which increases help employed and side-tracks. The charges on received freight for May, 1890, was $400, and the charges on forwarding $2,074, the latter being about twice the average month's business, while $400 for receipts is about an average.
Banking began with the Exchange Bank, owned and opened by Williams & Bidwell about 1881, but discontinued in 188:3. Then the Citizens' Bank was started up by W. H. Gallup, or rather removed from Nevada to Cambridge, but he not long after took P. T. Keller as partner. Mr. Gallup secured it again in 1887, and made H. N. Silliman cashier, who, in October, became partner. Since May, 1888, it has been owned by R. J. Silliman & Son. Their correspondents are the First National Banks of Chicago and Nevada.
On March 15, 1882, Cambridge was incorporated and held its first council meeting. F. M. Livingston was mayor; D. W. C. Beck, recorder, and D. D. Hayes, Levi Nellis, O. M. Johnson, J. D. Breezley and George W. Waud were trustees. The following gentlemen have served as " His Honor, the Mayor: " D. D. Hayes, 1883; C. Bidwell, 1884; J. C. Kinsell, 1885; O. M. Johnson, 1886; J. M. Brown, 1887; D. W. C. Beck, 1888, and M. C. Seal, 1889-90.