An entire town in the United States is being kept alive by one woman, who serves as its mayor, treasurer, clerk and sole resident.
At 93, Elsie Eiler is the last remaining inhabitant of Monowi, a tiny village in Nebraska that was once home to around 150 people but has gradually emptied as residents moved away or passed on.
Despite being the only person left, Elsie has no plans to abandon the place she has called home for most of her life.
“I’m happy here. I grew up here, I’m used to this and I know what I want. It’s just hard to change after so many years,” she told the BBC.
Located among the vast farmland of Nebraska’s Great Plains, Monowi is widely recognised as the only incorporated municipality in the United States with a population of just one.
Its unusual status has turned Elsie into an unlikely international attraction, drawing curious visitors from all 50 US states and more than 60 countries.
For more than two decades, she has been responsible for keeping the village running, despite having nobody else to govern.
Monowi was established in 1902 following the arrival of the railway, which brought new opportunities to farming families in the remote Nebraska countryside.
Its name is believed to originate from a Native American word associated with flowers.
During its busiest years in the early 20th century, the village had approximately 150 residents, along with grocery shops, a restaurant and even a prison.
Elsie grew up in the surrounding countryside, attending school alongside other local children, including a boy named Rudy Eiler.
The two eventually married in 1954 and raised two children together.
However, Monowi’s fortunes began to change as agricultural machinery transformed farming after the Second World War. With fewer workers needed on farms, families gradually left in search of opportunities in larger towns and cities.
The population dropped to 67 by 1950 and fell further to just 40 a decade later.
The local church held its final funeral in 1960, when Elsie’s father was buried. The post office eventually closed, followed by the village school in 1974.
By 1990, only six residents remained. Ten years later, just Elsie and Rudy were left.
The couple had taken over the Monowi Tavern in 1971, turning it into a gathering place for farmers, travellers and locals passing through the area.
But in January 2004, the village’s population was cut in half when Rudy died from lung cancer, leaving Elsie as its only resident.
Rather than leave, she continued running the tavern and taking care of the town.
In an interview with The New York Times, she explained how closely her life was tied to the village.
“The bar is the town, and I’m the town. We’re all so intermeshed, you can’t quite imagine one without the other.
“This is my home. All my friends are around. Why would I want to leave?”
Her responsibilities are far from ordinary. As Monowi’s sole resident, Elsie also serves as its mayor, clerk and treasurer.
Every year, she puts up a notice at the tavern announcing the mayoral election before casting the only vote, effectively re-electing herself without opposition.
She is also responsible for maintaining the village’s finances and handling the paperwork required to keep its official status.
Even applying for licences involves an unusual administrative arrangement.
“When I apply to the state for my liquor and tobacco licences each year, they send them to the secretary of the village, which is me.
“So, I get them as the secretary, sign them as the clerk and give them to myself as the bar owner,” she said.
Elsie has previously explained that she raises around £380 (US$500) annually in local taxes to cover essential services, including maintaining three streetlights and the water supply.
Despite having only one resident, Monowi must continue meeting administrative requirements to qualify for certain state funding.
In March 2026, Nebraska officials formally approved an audit waiver addressed to Elsie in her capacity as village chairperson, highlighting how the town’s one-woman administration remains operational.
The village also has another unusual attraction: a library containing approximately 5,000 books.
Known as Rudy’s Library, it was established in memory of her late husband, who had spent years collecting books and dreamed of opening a public library before his death.
Determined to fulfil his ambition, Elsie enlisted the help of family and friends to establish the library using the collection he had left behind.
Today, visitors can browse its shelves and borrow books on trust, meaning the tiny village has thousands more books than residents.
Meanwhile, the Monowi Tavern remains the town’s last surviving business, with Elsie continuing to welcome visitors and serve drinks to travellers.
A sign outside advertises the coldest beer in town, while a pint costs US$2 and a burger US$3.50.
The surrounding landscape, however, tells a different story. Abandoned buildings continue to deteriorate, the old grain elevator stands as a reminder of the village’s agricultural past, and the former church has fallen silent.
Its pews have reportedly been repurposed to store tractor tyres.
Despite the decline, Monowi’s unusual story has attracted visitors from around the world. Many leave their names in the tavern’s guestbooks before meeting the woman who effectively represents an entire American town.
But Elsie is also aware that Monowi’s future is uncertain.
She has admitted feeling sad when thinking about the day she may no longer be able to run the tavern.
“If I let myself sit and think about it, I feel sad that the time is going to come that I can’t be in there,” she said.
“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.”
