She's The Only Person Living In this Town, But She's Keeping It Alive

When the census bureau got the records back from Monowi, Nebraska in 2010, they must have been pretty surprised.

The town officially became America's smallest recognized municipality, with just one single, 76-year-old women living in Monowi's only occupied dwelling. Seven years later, Elsie Eiler is now 83, but she's still the last person left in Monowi.

The town was always on the small side, but in the heyday of the Missiouri Valley railroad there were up to 150 people living in the town, mostly working in the cattle business. Over time, as jobs dried up, people moved to the city. There were only 18 people in Monowi by 1980, and soon Eiler's own children moved away to find work.

Eiler and her husband Rudy grew up in Monowi, and while they lived in Omaha (the nearest big city to Monowi) they left the hustle and bustle for their childhood home, where they opened up a tavern.

In 2000, Rudy and Elsie were the last residents of Monowi. When Rudy passed away in 2003, Elsie became the only person in town.  "I get lonely for my kids," she explains, "but I don't get lonely. I have too many interests and old friends."

Monowi itself is a 0.2 square mile ghost town, with just a handful of buildings still in use. The nearest community is 7 miles away, and the nearest Walmart is 60 miles away. There was a post office, but it closed in the 1960s. Even so, letters still find their way to Elsie.

It's not easy being the only person in town, but it's not as hard as you'd expect either. Eiler is the town mayor, and so she pays taxes to herself. Eiler grants herself a liquor license when hers runs out, and she draws up a street plan every year, so the state of Nebraska keeps the power running to Monowi's four street lamps.

For pretty much everything else, Eiler depends on her "neighbors," who could live as much as 20 miles away. And for a town of one person, her work sure keeps her busy.

Read the full story on Shared.com.

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