Friday Feature: Monowi, Nebraska

“After me, I suppose there will be nothing here. But I aim to be around for quite a few years yet.”

Elsie Eiler

Mayor of Monowi, Nebraska

“One is the loneliest number.” At least that’s how the song goes made famous by the Three Dog Night. But Elsie Eiler isn’t buying it. She’s the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska—the only incorporated town in the United States with population 1—but she’s not lonely. She doesn’t have time to be.

Mrs. Eiler runs the Monowi Tavern, the last establishment standing in town (the general store closed during World War II when the owner left to work on the draft board and it’s not really standing today—more leaning). Her regulars come from 80 miles around to wet their whistle, eat her home cooking, and enjoy her company. And they come for the books. You see, Monowi isn’t just a one-woman town—it’s a one-woman town with a library. 

Out behind the tavern, Mrs. Eiler opened Rudy’s Library in memory of her husband of 49½ years who died in 2004. The library contains the treasure trove of books Mr. Eiler collected throughout his lifetime—5,000 of them in all. Mrs. Eiler says her husband read endlessly and was “forever buying something for a little bit of nothing.” The library is operated on the honor system: take out a book if you like it, and return it when you’re done.

These days Mrs. Eiler has an additional job—she’s kept busy holding court for reporters from around the country and across the pond. In 2005 the Los Angeles Times did a piece on her little library, and the national and international media ate it up. Among the many reporters beating a path to her door, the Today Show and London Times came calling, as did CBS Sunday Morning. Things were just settling down, when in March of this year Larry the Cable Guy announced on his radio show that he was holding a hot dog roast that very day in Monowi to raise money for the town. Within hours 1,200 folks turned up to eat a few hot dogs and show their support.

If you find yourself in the northern prairie of Nebraska, stop by Monowi. You can grab a cold beer and fried egg sandwich at the Monowi Tavern, browse the stacks in Rudy’s Library, and enjoy a bit of Americana history.

Sources:
Spirit of 5,000-book library enlivens ghostly hamlet of 1 [Original Los Angeles Times story (as retold in Chicago Tribune)]
Introducing the mayor of Monowi: (population: 1) [London Times]
Slide show of photos from Monowi
Monowi Wikepedia page

Lots o’ Land

“Towns need to grow to survive.”

Karen Lauer, Barnesville, Minnesota Economic Development

Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Land of the Free

Small towns and rural communities are using what they have to woo newcomers, and for some that means free land. In Kansas there’s so much free land they host an online site, Kansas Free Land, that provides links to all of the communities giving it away. In Curtis, Nebraska lucky homeowners can snatch up a lot overlooking the golf course. And in Marne, Iowa, one family not only got free land but also got $10,000 in down payment assistance. Sometimes when a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s just good.

Read the Article ® 7 towns where land is free

Bonus Link ® Click on USDA Rural Development for information on getting low-interest loans to buy or build in rural areas.

I ran the following story last week. It’s about one town’s incentives for attracting newcomers. I thought it was worth repeating here . . . in case you missed it the first time . . . and in case you’re thinking about building in Minnesota.

If You Pay Them, They Will Build

Town leaders in Barnesville, Minnesota (population 2,314) have been hard at work attracting folks to their community. First, they offered free lots to newcomers willing to build. Then, they sweetened the pot with utility incentives. And now—cold, hard cash: twenty-five hundred bucks to the first four people who move to their town and build a home. This is one town that knows the way to a homeowner’s heart is through their pocketbook.

Read the Article ® Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Gotta Have Groceries

“I grew up scooping turkey manure and driving a tractor.”

Nick Graham, Small Town Grocery Tycoon

Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Tycoon Nick Blows into Town

Nick Graham is kind of a big deal in small town grocery stores. Where others are throwing in the towel and shuttering stores, he’s buying them up and keeping local communities supplied. At 21 years old, Graham might be considered a youngster, but he’s an old hand in the grocery business. He bought his first store in Minnesota when he was 17, and by the time he sold it two years later he was grossing $100,000 a week. Graham’s empire now includes three stores in small town Iowa. Read the article to see which popular American novel gave Graham the idea for his first business plan.

Read the Article ® Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Students Pitch in to Bring Grocery Store to Town

A grocery store is the lifeblood of a small community. The kids from the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools in Nebraska get it. A group junior and senior high schoolers from the tiny town of Cody (population 149) traveled to Lincoln to make a pitch to lease land along a popular nature trail so a grocery store can be built. The nearest full-service store is 40 miles away. As the students put it, the store would attract people to their community and provide jobs for both adults and after-school workers. These students are pretty smart cookies.

Read the Article ® Grocery store could help tough town survive

Need to Help Neighbors Burns Strong

After a fire destroyed the only grocery store in Onaga, Kansas (population 683) late last year, residents have been desperate to get a grocery store back in town. With the closest store 45 miles away and winter driving conditions making the trip seem even longer, townspeople were especially concerned for the elderly in their community. The local diner, Wanda’s Country Cooking, stepped up to the plate to help out. They set up a makeshift grocery store in their restaurant and stock it with necessities picked up in town three times a week. The manager says the store has been good for business but, like everyone else, she’ll be glad when a full-fledged grocery store is back in town.

Read the Article ® Small town diner opens makeshift grocery store to keep Onaga fed

Building on Quality of Life

“If you had a $20 bill and didn’t want to go to the bar,

you’d be hard pressed to spend it in Taylor.”

Chuck Cone, Mayor of Burwell

Burwell, Garfield County growing

Town Grows Whopping 60% but Keeps Small Town Feel

CDA Press · Jennifer Elliott took a break from her walk along the Centennial Trail on Friday to ponder Post Falls’ [Idaho] growth during the past decade. She was “astounded” the city—her “happy medium” hometown between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene—grew 60 percent to 27,574 people in 2010, according to the Idaho Labor Department.

Read More ® Growing, growing, but small-town feel not gone

Location, Location, Location: Lakeside Town Grows

The Independent · Garfield County is one of the few rural counties in Nebraska that saw growth in the past 10 years, according to data recently released from the U.S. Census Bureau. After decades of population decline, the census data shows that Garfield County’s population increased to 2,049, up 7.7 percent from 10 years ago. The county’s only city, Burwell, grew by 7.1 percent.

Read More ® Burwell, Garfield County growing

Traditions Alive and Well in Tiny Town

Globe Gazette · Is it the ribs and chicken at Mitchell's restaurant? Or the possibility of actor Kevin Costner returning for another musical gig at the Ambroson barn? Something helped push Leland’s [Iowa] population from 258 to 289 over the past decade.

Read More ® Backroads North Iowa: Small-town traditions alive, well in Leland