Jireh, Wyoming: A Forgotten Christian College Town

A 1,700-pound bell once rang out over the streets of Jireh, a small Christian college town in Niobrara County that no longer exists. The community was situated along Highway 20, just west of Manville, and was founded on the belief that education and faith could sustain a new settlement in the Wyoming high plains.

The town’s origins trace to 1908, when Reverend George Dalzell, a minister from Lusk, began planning the community. The name Jireh is derived from the phrase “The Lord Will Provide.” Construction began in earnest the following year. On October 21, 1909, Wyoming Congressman Frank W. Mondell delivered the address before the cornerstone was laid for the three-story college building. Residents contributed their own labor to the project, with some volunteers walking five miles to assist in the construction.

The institution offered a specific lifestyle for its students. Tuition, room, board, and books cost only $65 annually. Because the college was Christian, the community enforced strict social rules. Alcohol, gambling, smoking, and dancing were prohibited. In contrast, roller skating, basketball, music, and sleigh rides were encouraged as acceptable forms of recreation.

As the college grew, the town expanded to support it. Jireh developed two banks, hotels, general stores, a post office, and a blacksmith. A local newspaper, The Jireh Record, served the community, alongside numerous other businesses. However, the college closed just ten years after it opened its doors.

While the college ceased operations, other parts of the community persisted. The local grade school continued to operate until 1947. Jireh Cemetery, established on land donated by Reverend Dalzell, remains active today. The original college cornerstone now stands as a historical monument along Highway 20, marking the location where the town once stood.

Today, the site of Jireh is a quiet stretch of land west of Manville. The historic market and the cemetery serve as the remaining physical links to the community that was built by homesteaders and students in the early 20th century.