Trip to Nebraska's Smallest
While flipping TV channels Dan and I came across 'Larry the cable guy' - That is how we heard of the smallest town.. 'smallest' in the sense of the number of people living there- and that number was ONE- Yup one! and she is Elsie and the town is Monowi, which is in North Nebraska. So the next weekend we decided to take a road trip to visit Elsie and her world famous Monawi Tavern.. ONLY in Nebraska!
Our First Stop was at Gavins Point Dam
This is on the Nebraska-South Dakota border. The dam is across the Lewis and Clark Lake, which is fed from the Mossouri River.
This is on the Nebraska-South Dakota border. The dam is across the Lewis and Clark Lake, which is fed from the Mossouri River.
The 'Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge' across the Missouri River is what we passed next. It was a very windy day and wind gusts were around 45 miles per hour. That didn't stopped us from enjoying the awesome view.
Then we drove Along the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway.
The name should say it all though in the present day we didn't meet any 'outlaw's - We passed through small towns, friendly people and miles and miles of breathtakingly beautiful landscapes.
Verdel is one of those small towns.
The man standing next to the sign is George Shannon, the youngest member of Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark's 'Corps of Discovery'.
Abandoned houses in Verdel NE.
This is a very common site in these small towns.
This was abandoned too.
Monawi NE. Population 1.
Finally at our destination. All around one could see the deserted and empty houses. The Monowi sign read 2 until Elsie's husband, Rudy passed away in 2004.
Home of the Nite Owls
Across the street one could see the ruins of a grain silo.
This is the one and only Monowi Tavern.
The server, manager, cashier and chef is the only resident of the town, Elsie Eiler, who is also the mayor, village clerk, treasurer, and council. Oh Yes, Elsie made sure that the village will not go 'unincorporated'.
We had our lunch at the Monowi Tavern.
Hamburger, sandwiches, onion rings, steak, salad, and french fries are some of the food items on her menu. She serves beer, cocktails and soda as well. It is a fully operational Tavern and yes there are souvenirs such as t-shirts and caps. But I assure you that you wouldn't need a souvenir to remember Elsie and and her Monowi Tavern.
Rudy's Library
Elsie is also the librarian of the library that contains all the books of her late husband, Rudy Eiler.
The Church.
Abandoned as the rest of the village.
The Jail house is behind the white building
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Dan has some very interesting photos that show the inside of the jail house and more information.
We said Good Bye to Elsie and drove off to find a place to spend the night. We stopped at the Skyline Motel in Spencer, NE. It was a pretty decent place though we could hear what was going on in the rooms next to ours.
We said Good Bye to Elsie and drove off to find a place to spend the night. We stopped at the Skyline Motel in Spencer, NE. It was a pretty decent place though we could hear what was going on in the rooms next to ours.
The Iron Man Cafe in Spencer NE
Next morning we had our breakfast at the only restaurant opened for breakfast in Spencer.
A non-functional Gasoline truck on Highway 56
On our way from Cedar Rapids to St. Edward on Highway 56
On Interstates semi trucks and vehicle carrier trucks are abundant. But when driving though Nebraska's farmlands this is what you meet on the road.
This is one Monster Soil Tiller
We stopped at St. Edwards hoping to get a shot at it while it was passing but got more than that when he decided to take a break too. What a sight!
I will allow the picture to speak for itself in here
