On this site in 1844, John Langdon and his four sons erected a sawmill, a dam and gristmill, joined in construction by other early settlers named McConochie, Dodge, Torbert, and Williams. The original place name of Langdon's Mill later became Florence, Belleville, and finally Cambria. The name Cambria is derived from the Welsh word Cymrie, meaning Wales, in honor of the area's early settlement by Welsh immigrants. The first group of Welsh people to come to this area left Liverpool, England, on July 17, 1845; they were Robert Closs, David R. Jones, John R. Rowlands, Evan Edwards, Jabes Lloyd, E.B. Williams, and John Edwards. Cambria became the center of the Welsh settlers in Columbia, Dodge, and Green Lake Counties, and the communities of Blaen-y-cae, Lake Emily, Proscairon, Rockhill, Portage Prairie, and Welsh Prairie were established around Cambria.