Monowi, Nebraska
Bkell/Wikimedia Commons
Bkell/Wikimedia Commons
Although there are a few ghost towns found throughout the United States, Monowi, Nebraska, avoids this designation thanks to Elsie Eiler. As The Omaha World-Herald confirmed in a 2023 report, that’s because Eiler is the only remaining resident of the town.
Although she’s run the Monowi Tavern for 50 years, Eiler has since become the town’s mayor by virtue of being the only person still living there. Although some old signs may still list the town’s population as two, that changed after her husband Rudy — for whom this library is named — passed away in 2004.