We alight for a moment in Ralston. Wikipedia notes that the town, in Pawnee, is “Iriíraatuhukaataku, reetuhruukaataku.” This looks absolutely Finnish. For that matter, the entire Wikipedia page is bizarre.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total of Seven people in it. 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all land.

Ohhhkay, but the basic-stats sidebar says 266, according to the 2020 census. And then the demographics sections says “According to the United States Census Bureau, Ralston's population is estimated 328 (2012 Population Estimates).” And then:

There were 2 households, out of which 100% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 100% were married couples living together, 0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 0% were non-families. 0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 7.

Aerial maps show more than two. Anyway, let’s start.

A previous Google picture of the 1922 structure:

And now. So one of those 7 or 266 or 328 is a bored youth with a spray can.

That's not a pane of glass at the bottom. A Google artifact.

That’s a surprisingly well-preserved building for an old, emptied-out town.

The HARRY BROS.

Believe it or not, our source on its history is our old friend, cinema treasures:

The Ralston Opera House was built in 1902. There was a hardware store on the ground floor, with the opera House upstairs on the second floor. It was running movies in the early-1920’s but had closed by the end of the decade.

After sitting unused for almost 60 years, it was purchased by Bill Hiser in the mid-1980’s, with plans to restore the theatre, but sadly he died before it was completed.

Huh.

So . . . someone was working on the Silver Moon Cafe to restore it, and they did the windows first and left the rest open to the elements, or it was the Silver Moon, and the roof fell in recently?

Huh again

Did they uncover the old name and build a restaurant around the old history? It has the Google Street View sign for dining, but doesn’t look like a going concern.

Double huh.

How long has it been since a small-town street had billiards?

Another restaurant?

Another restaurant that doesn’t seem to be open, and a bank that has no website. Got it.

IOOF

If I had to guess, I’d say the IOOF building was first, and then they build an addition.

It had neighbors, once.

Alas.

Let’s go back to one of those nice storefronts.

Well, maybe next time!

It was always closed up.

About halfway through the town I realized this was another filming location for Killers of the Flower Moon.