The smallest city in North Dakota, which was on the verge of dissolving after the death its longtime mayor, has been saved by the discovery of two unknown residents.
It takes a minimum of three residents for a community to be incorporated, according to the North Dakota Century Code.
And following the death of 87-year-old Bruce Lorenz in July, the McLean County community of Ruso had only two remaining residents.
Lorenz, who became mayor over 30 years ago with a one-vote win – after voting for himself – told the Minot Daily News earlier this year: ‘If I ever leave I’m sure that will be the end of Ruso.’
However, the city is now getting a population boom with numbers rising to four.
Laurinda Roloson, Ruso’s auditor and one of its two residents, told the local newspaper: ‘We want to keep it going for Bruce’s sake.’
Her husband, Terry Roloson, was the only other Ruso person living there, before the city discovered that Greg Schmaltz qualifies as a resident.
Schmaltz has a Ruso mailbox and makes daily checks on his horses and chickens on land within city limits.
So on Thursday, Schmaltz is expected to become the city’s next mayor.
Schmaltz and his wife, Michelle, currently live 15 miles away in Velva, but plan to move to Ruso later this year, where they have had a residence under construction for the past two years.
Schmaltz said: ‘We’re looking at autumn to finish everything up.’
Ruso was first incorporated in 1909, and it had a population of 141 a year later.
The city’s population dwindled when its last remaining business, the grain elevator, took its last load in 1956.
Schmaltz hopes others will follow him to Ruso, which is about 40 miles southeast of Minot near Strawberry Lake.
He said: ‘Other people have expressed interest in moving out there. We don’t want things to slow down.
‘I’m about preserving what little is left of Ruso. I’m proud of being out there.’
Got a story for Metro.co.uk?
If you have a story for our news team, email us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
Share this with