Five miles from the South Dakota border, a dirt road winds through the Nebraska prairie towards a town that has almost vanished. Monowi still has its street signs, a few battered buildings and three lampposts, but there is only one person left to see them each morning. Elsie Eiler, 84, lives in a trailer beside the town’s small tavern, which she opens for customers who travel from miles away. She pours the drinks, cooks the food and keeps the books. She is also Monowi’s mayor, clerk, treasurer and librarian.
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