Who do you think keeps the lights on around here?Being a mayor in Monowi, Nebraska, is a tough job. You have to run the administration, manage the finances, keep the library open and, perhaps most importantly, make sure nobody’s glass stays empty for too long. But what happens when you are the only person living in the town you govern?Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi and the woman keeping the entire town alive. Recognised by Guinness World Records as the incorporated town with the world’s lowest population, Monowi is quite literally a one-woman show. And while the title might sound like the beginning of a lonely story, Elsie’s life is anything but a tale of someone waiting to be rescued.Monowi was not always this quiet. Like many small American towns, it began as a railway settlement in the early 1900s. The railway brought people, businesses and opportunities, and the village eventually grew into a thriving little community. At its peak in 1930, it had 123 residents. There were shops, restaurants, a school, a post office and even a church. But as the years passed, younger generations moved away in search of jobs and better opportunities elsewhere. Businesses shut down, the railway disappeared and the population steadily declined. By 1980, only 18 people remained.By 2000, the town had just two residents, Elsie and her husband, Rudy Eiler. A world where it seems its just me and my partner sounds like a dream come true, right? The two had known each other since childhood, having met at the local one-room schoolhouse. They eventually married and settled in Monowi, where they built their lives together. They also purchased the local tavern in 1971, turning it into a familiar meeting place for people in the surrounding area.Unfortunately, when Rudy passed away in 2004, Elsie was left as the town’s only inhabitant. While many might have considered moving somewhere with more people around, she decided to stay. This was her home, after all.And she wasn’t about to let her husband’s memory disappear either. Rudy was an avid reader who had accumulated around 5,000 books over the years. In 2005, Elsie established Rudy’s Library in his memory, using his personal collection to create a little public library in the village. Today, it remains one of the three active buildings in Monowi, alongside her home and the tavern. The library operates on an honour system, allowing visitors to browse and borrow books without the usual fuss of library cards and administrative formalities.
Elsie Eiler. Image Courtesy: Nebraska Public Media
Running a town of one also comes with its fair share of paperwork. As mayor, Elsie handles the municipal administration, prepares the town’s road plans, manages its finances and applies for the funding needed to maintain basic services. She also serves as the town clerk, secretary and treasurer. And then there is her other rather interesting responsibility: issuing herself the annual liquor licence for the tavern she owns and operates. The application goes through the village secretary, who happens to be Elsie. She signs it as the clerk and receives it as the business owner. Getting things done without having to chase anyone for an approval is a dream job; she truly is her own boss!But her administrative duties are only part of her day. At 93, Elsie continues to work at the Monowi Tavern for around 12 hours a day, six days a week. She serves coffee, cooks burgers, pours drinks and welcomes anyone who happens to walk through the door. Her customers include local farmers, regulars from neighbouring towns and curious travellers who have made the journey just to meet the woman behind the town’s unusual record.In fact, visitors have arrived from all 50 US states and more than 60 countries. The tavern has become something of a tourist attraction, with people eager to see the famous village sign announcing its population of one. Yet Elsie doesn’t seem particularly impressed by her international popularity. She has always been more interested in the people who actually come through the door than the headlines written about her.In Monowi, a neighbour isn’t 4 feet apart, but 40 miles away, as she once explained to Country Living. You know how they say, good fences make good neighbours. But, that doesn’t mean the relationship is distant. Instead it is more cordial than ever. Everyone looks out for one another. When it snows, a local farmer might turn up to clear her parking lot and the main street. When the tavern gets busy, friends and acquaintances are happy to lend a hand.During winter, regulars gather at the tavern on Sunday evenings to play euchre, a card game, and spend time catching up. Some customers have known Elsie for decades. Others are younger generations of families who have been visiting the establishment for years. It is a place where people share meals, stories and a little company after a long day. As Matthew 22:39 says, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.This is not a rescue call, not a ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ storyline waiting to happen. Elsie doesn’t need rescuing, and being the only person living in a town doesn’t necessarily mean being alone in the world. She has family, friends, familiar faces and a community that continues to show up for her. Her daughter, Rene Lassise, has pointed out that outsiders often miss the camaraderie and genuine connections that keep her mother attached to the place. The town might have only one official resident, but it certainly has more than one person who considers it home.Of course, even Elsie knows that Monowi’s future is uncertain. With nobody else living there to take over the administrative responsibilities or keep its businesses running, the town’s existence is closely tied to her own. She has admitted that thinking about a time when she might no longer be able to stay makes her sad. She would like to see Monowi continue to exist rather than become another collection of abandoned buildings along a roadside.It is a rather unusual situation. Most people spend their lives looking for somewhere to belong, while Elsie has spent hers holding on to a place that the rest of the world slowly moved away from. Perhaps a town isn’t always defined by how many people live in it, how many shops line its streets or how busy its roads are. Sometimes, it is defined by the people who keep showing up, the stories they share and the connections they refuse to let go of.So, who keeps the lights on around here? Well, the mayor does. And she might just be serving you a burger while she is at it. And maybe, this town ain’t big enough for two.
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