An American village had a population of just one person left in 2004. That only resident also became its mayor, clerk and bartender

There are small towns in America where only a few people remain, but Monowi in Nebraska took the idea of a shrinking town to an unusual level. In 2004, the village was left with just one resident after Elsie Eiler’s husband, Rudy, died. Eiler did not leave. Instead, she continued living in Monowi and became its only resident, while also taking care of many of the jobs that would normally be divided among several people.

The tiny village in Boyd County, near the South Dakota border, is now known for having the lowest population of any incorporated town. Guinness World Records lists Monowi as the record holder for the lowest population of a town, with Eiler serving as mayor, town clerk, treasurer, secretary, tavern keeper and librarian.

From a busy farming town to a village of one

Monowi was not always this quiet. The community grew around farming, ranching and the railroad, and its population reached 123 in the 1930s, according to accounts about the village. Over the decades, however, jobs disappeared, young people moved away and local businesses and services closed.


By 1980, only 18 people were living there. The 2000 census counted just two residents, Eiler and her husband Rudy. His death four years later left Elsie alone in the village.

But being the only person in town did not mean she stopped having work to do.

One woman, several town jobs

Eiler continued to operate the Monowi Tavern, which she and Rudy had taken over in 1971. The tavern became the one place where people could still meet, eat and have a drink in the tiny community.

She also handled the paperwork needed to keep Monowi functioning as a municipality, including licences and other official matters. Guinness World Records notes that she even issues and signs her own annual liquor licence while also serving as mayor.

The tavern, meanwhile, remained surprisingly busy. Nebraska Public Media reported that Eiler estimated around 50 people a day could stop by, despite the village itself having only one resident.

Describing the place, Eiler told Nebraska Public Media: “It’s a bar and grill, I would call it. I do quite a lot of cooking the last couple of year. It’s a bar and a meeting place for everybody. There’s (a) toy box under the tv for all of the little kids that come in, and it’s just a community meeting I guess you would say,” Eiler says.

The village still has a community

Monowi may officially have one resident, but Eiler has never really lived without people around her.

Farmers, police officers, travellers and other visitors regularly stop at the tavern. Nebraska Public Media reported that local law enforcement officers have also used the tavern as a meeting place. During one celebration marking Eiler's 50 years running the business, officers from nearby counties even came to cook for her instead of having her prepare their food.

Eiler has also attracted visitors from across the United States and other countries. Guinness World Records reported that her guestbook has included people from all 50 states and more than 60 countries.

She has also kept her late husband's memory alive through Rudy's Library, which opened in 2005 and contains about 5,000 books he had collected.

Why Elsie stayed

For Eiler, staying in Monowi has never simply been about maintaining a strange record. It is home, and the people who visit the tavern have become part of her life.

During the 50th anniversary celebration of the tavern, she explained why she continued to stay there: “Each year I just renew my license and stay again. I mean, basically…I’m happy here. This is where I really – I want to be here, or I wouldn’t stay here,” she said, as per Nebraska Public Media.

And that perhaps explains why Monowi has survived as more than a collection of abandoned buildings. On paper, it is a village of one. In everyday life, Eiler's tavern has kept a much larger community connected to the place.

As Guinness World Records reported, Eiler knows the future of Monowi is closely tied to her own. “I don’t know what the future holds for here, but I’d like to see it keep going. Otherwise, it’s just going to be another bunch of shambled buildings on the side of the road.”