True Stories #402 - The Mayor of Monowi

Elsie Eiler literally became a small town savior...by becoming mayor.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
I'm Seth Andrews, and what you're about to hear is
a true story. Elsie Eler ran for mayor and she
brought her small town of Monowai into the global spotlight.

(00:22):
Pretty remarkable for a rural politician in Nebraska. Elsie moved
to North Nebraska when she was just a kid. She
had five siblings and the family lived on a fifth
of a square mile farm. Elsie married her high school sweetheart, Rudi,
and after a few years of living here and there,

(00:43):
the couple settled down in Manawai. And Oh they loved
that little town, which rested quietly at the top northeast
corner of the state, just off of Highway twelve. They
cherished the vibe of the place, its people, it's charms,
the farming life, removed from city life. But Manawai was

(01:05):
seeing a time of crisis. Small towns revolve around industry
and they rely on the younger generation to plant roots
and settle down. And yet businesses were closing or moving away.
Young people were not sticking around, and Elsie watched in
despair as Manawai started to die on the vine. Before long,

(01:27):
it wouldn't even exist, and so she decided she was
going to do something about it. Elsie ran for mayor,
and she put her hands where her heart was. She
was not going to be a figurehead, you know, the
kind of mayor that sits behind a desk for meetings
and dictation press conferences. This was a hard work gal

(01:50):
with a hard work ethic, and Elsie personally took control
of three population points in her town, the tavern, the library,
and of course, the mayor's office building. It was not
uncommon to see Elsie serving beer at the bar after
she had issued the restaurant liquor license herself. She managed

(02:11):
the budget for Monowaise infrastructure, from the town signage to
the street lights and whatever. In two thousand and five,
Elsie Isler established the first Monowide town library. She stocked
the shelves with over five thousand books, all of which
were owned by her avid reader husband Rudy until he

(02:33):
passed away. She handshakes the tourists, greets visitors from all
fifty states and over sixty countries. Her town even saw
RB's erect its largest advertising billboard in the whole country,
right there in Monowai. Not bad for a labor of love,

(02:53):
and sure it can be a lot to handle, being
the point person for a whole town Monday through Sunday,
always on call, always needing to be the person to
fix the problem. But even now, if you drive to
that tavern in Manawai, Nebraska, there's a really good chance
that Elsie herself we'll be working the bar, ready to

(03:15):
say hi and pour you a beer. She was celebrated
back in twenty twenty one for her fiftieth year working
that town tavern. It is remarkable the sacrifices people have
made to keep alive the things they love. Elsie has
kept her beloved small town alive, and it's a good

(03:36):
thing because if she ever moved away, there would be
no town. When Monawi began to wane all those decades ago,
hundreds of residents became dozens, became a few, became one.
When Elsie ran for office, she ran unopposed because she

(04:01):
was the only person left. Today, she has gained global
fame as the mayor of the middle of nowhere, the
woman who loved her town so much that she decided
to become both its mayor and single citizen. Manawie, Nebraska,
population one. She fills out the annual paperwork so the

(04:24):
town remains a recognized town on Nebraska's books. She cooks
food and serves drinks at the bar, even if there
aren't any tourists passing through or nearby farmer stopping by
and she's just serving herself. She browses the library of books,
which are imbued with the memories of her late husband,

(04:45):
and she manages the mayor's office, which of course is
Elsie's house, the last of three active buildings remaining. So
if you are ever driving the plaines up Nebraska and
pay a visit to the Mayor of Manawai, let Elsie

(05:05):
show you the sites that should only take a couple
of minutes. Let her lend you a book or cook
you a burger. Soak up the charm and smile at
the stories. And when you're done and you drive on,
remember the day that you met the mayor, town clerk, treasurer,
city secretary, tavern keeper, chief librarian, single resident, and Guinness

(05:30):
World Record holder for the lowest population town in the
United States. Manawai, Nebraska a literal small wonder and that's
a true story. True Stories podcast dot Com