In Monowi, Nebraska, local elections are pretty predictable. There’s only one candidate, one voter, and, naturally, one winner. The funny thing is that it’s always the same person! No tricks, no funny business: Monowi has just one resident.
Her name is Elsie Eiler. She’s in her nineties and serves as the mayor, town clerk, treasurer, librarian, and owner of the town’s only bar. It’s an unusual arrangement, to say the least, and one that has made this tiny Nebraska town famous around the world, even earning it a place in Guinness World Records as the world’s least populous town.
But how did it come to this?
The Story of Monowi: A Town of One
Monowi is located in northern Nebraska, not far from the South Dakota border. Today, it’s little more than a small cluster of buildings surrounded by the vast farmland of the Great Plains. And yet, it was once a town like any other!
In the 1930s, it had more than 120 residents. Along its few streets were shops, a school, a railroad station, and several businesses. Then came the steady population decline that affected so many rural communities across the United States: young people moved away, businesses closed, and houses were left empty.
By the early 2000s, only two residents remained: Elsie and her husband Rudy, who had been running the Monowi Tavern together since 1971. In 2004, Rudy died, leaving Elsie as the town’s only resident. Overnight, Monowi had lost 50% of its population. Elsie, however, decided to stay. This was her town, she had spent most of her life there, and she had no intention of leaving. So she kept running the tavern and, above all, keeping Monowi alive.
A Mayor Who Votes for Herself
Despite having only one resident, Monowi is still an incorporated village, complete with a local government, a budget, and administrative responsibilities. And since someone has to take care of everything, Elsie took on the job herself. When election time comes around, she posts the election notice in her tavern and then votes for herself. The outcome, of course, is entirely predictable.
As mayor, Elsie has to handle municipal paperwork, prepare the documentation needed to secure public funding, and manage the money allocated to essential services. Want an example? When Elsie applies to the state to renew the licenses to sell alcohol and tobacco at her tavern, the paperwork is sent to the town clerk — which happens to be Elsie herself. She receives it, signs it as the town official, and then hands it back to herself as the business owner. In Monowi, in other words, it’s not hard to find the right person to take care of town business.
Visiting Monowi
And what if you wanted to meet Elsie — in other words, Monowi’s entire population? Just head to the Monowi Tavern along Highway 12. You might find her serving customers, including farmers, residents of nearby towns, and travelers intrigued by her story. Elsie serves burgers, pours drinks, and chats with customers, some of whom have been coming to the tavern for decades. Not far away is Rudy’s Library, a small library Elsie opened after her husband’s death, housing around 5,000 books from his personal collection.
One Last Curious Detail
In 2020, Monowi appeared to be on the verge of doubling its population: the census recorded two residents instead of one. But nobody had moved into town. The second resident was the result of a statistical privacy-protection method used by the Census Bureau, which can alter published population figures for very small communities. The population increase existed only on paper. Elsie remained Monowi’s sole resident and, barring any unlikely surprises, the clear favorite in the next election.
Cover photo: AdamChandler86
