Place · United States
The history of Highland
Assembled from 8 dug tiles · 66 sourced records · 1849–now · last reviewed 7 November 2026
Highland, Utah, grew from farmland and the old lake bed of Lake Bonneville into a city of platted subdivisions, incorporated in 1870. Its record is one of farmland sold for building, houses raised by the same handful of developers, and families who bought, mortgaged and passed the ground on.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Highland — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Highland
A lakebed lot in Highland became a subdivision houseA lakebed lot becomes a subdivision
2005–2019 A DuPont chemist who bet his own basement over his boss
A man who could not sell his idea to DuPont built his own company on it, and ended his days two miles from where you stand.
1849–now An address, and nothing else on record
West Horizon Drive sits under Utah's Wasatch bench, on ground with no event on file. West Horizon Drive
2004–2025 A knight for a mascot, a title for real
Lone Peak High School has been turning out basketball players good enough for the Big Ten and the NBA since it opened its doors thirty feet from where you stand. Lone Peak High School
1849–2025 A house lot on a 1990s subdivision
This point sits on a residential lot in Highland, Utah, platted in the late 1990s on former farmland above Dry Creek. West Dry Creek Circle
1849–now A lake bottom platted, sold, and refinanced
You are standing on Lot 509 of Dry Creek Highlands, a parcel with a filing history and nothing else yet. West Broadleaf Hollow Circle
2014–2020 Some ground has only ever been ground
West Southern Cross Court sits on a residential lot in Highland, Utah, with nothing recorded beneath it but the lot itself. West Southern Cross Court
2004–2021 One lot on a street built all at once
West Horizon Drive sits thirty paces from where you are standing, one house among many, with nothing recorded but its address. West Horizon Drive
2026 back to 2000
Highland in layers
1849
Highland City Cemetery and Pioneer Memorial Cemetery in American Fork both trace their origins to 1849, among the oldest recorded institutions in the area. FamilySearch
from 1849
A short distance away, Highland City Cemetery has held burials since 1849, among the oldest recorded institutions in this area. FamilySearch
March 5, 1849, near Battle Creek, north of Alpine
General Daniel H. Wells of the Nauvoo Legion and the Deseret Militia killed several dozen Timpanogos Utes on March 5, 1849, near present-day Pleasant Grove in a preemptive strike. Intermountain Histories and military-history.fandom.com
from 1850
The nearby village of Alpine was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1850, part of the first wave of settlement in this valley. FamilySearch
1851 onwards, in the immediate area
In 1851, settlers moved onto the bench land now occupied by Alpine and Highland, establishing homesteads on what had been Timpanogos and Ute Indian land. JacobBarlow.com, Wikipedia Alpine Utah, and local history sources
1870
The settlement that became the city of Highland, a few kilometers away, dates its founding to 1870 in genealogical records. FamilySearch
1981–1983
Reva Beck Bosone, a U.S. congresswoman from Utah, and physicist Harvey Fletcher are both buried in the American Fork Cemetery rock wall, about 3.4 kilometers from here. Wikidata
buried 1986
Bill Gore, the businessman who co-founded W. L. Gore & Associates and invented Gore-Tex, is buried in Alpine City Cemetery near here. Wikidata
Kent Peterson, died 1995
Kent Peterson, who pitched in Major League Baseball, died in Highland in 1995. Wikidata
Lone Peak High School
Built in 1997 to serve Alpine, Highland, and Cedar Hills, Lone Peak High School stands about 350 meters from this spot as part of the Alpine School District. Wikipedia
Apple Blossom Park Plat B
The ground you're standing on was carved out as part of Apple Blossom Park Plat B by J & L Development LLC on October 17, 1997. Utah County Assessor
deed from the owners
A private buyer conveyed this parcel to Utah County by warranty deed on December 10, 1997. Utah County Assessor
April 7, 1997
The Dry Creek Phase 1 subdivision was recorded in April 1997, dividing the land into residential lots including the one at West Dry Creek Circle. Utah County Land Records (Assessor and Recorder)
April 3, 1998
On April 3, 1998, Dry Creek Estates LLC transferred ownership of Lot 17 to a private buyer, the first recorded owners of this parcel. Utah County Land Records (Assessor and Recorder)
2001
In 2001, a 6,071-square-foot residential house was constructed on this lot, replacing the undeveloped land with the structure that stands here today. Utah County Land Records (Assessor and Recorder)
March 14 and August 20, 2001
On March 14, 2001, a private buyer sold the newly built house to Promax Development Corporation, then repurchased it on August 20, 2001. Utah County Land Records (Assessor and Recorder)
April 16, 2002
Jewkes Brothers Construction recorded the plat for Blessing Rock at Beacon Hill Plat B in April 2002, laying out the lots that would include this one. Utah County Land Records (Assessor and Recorder)
2004
This parcel was carved out in 2004 as Lot 217 of the Blessing Rock At Beacon Hill Plat B subdivision, the paperwork step before any house existed here. Utah County Land Records
2004
Jewkes Brothers Construction platted this ground as Blessing Rock At Beacon Hill Plat B in 2004. Utah County Land Records
August 24, 1904
Jewkes Drywall Inc deeded the parcel to Blessing Rock LLC in August 2004, before the house existed. Utah County Land Records
August 25, 1904
Blessing Rock LLC transferred the parcel to Home Building Consultants LLC a day later, on August 25, 2004. Utah County Land Records
2004–2005
Between 2004 and 2005 the empty lot changed hands several times among developers and builders, from Jewkes Drywall Inc to Blessing Rock LLC to Home Building Consultants LLC, before the finished house was sold to its first private owner, a private buyer. Utah County Land Records (Assessor and Recorder)
2005
The lot underfoot was carved out in 2005 as Lot 402 of the Dry Creek Highlands Phase 4 subdivision by Ivory Development LLC. Utah County Land Records
2005
Jewkes Brothers Construction built the single-family home on this lot in 2005, replacing raw subdivision land with an 1,800-square-foot residence. Utah County Land Records
Questions about Highland
What is Highland known for historically?
Highland sits on ground once covered by ancient Lake Bonneville and later farmed before being platted into subdivisions such as Dry Creek Highlands, Dry Creek Phase 1, and Blessing Rock at Beacon Hill. It is also known for Lone Peak High School, built in 1997, whose basketball program reached a number-one national ranking in 2013, and for its proximity to Alpine City Cemetery, where Gore-Tex founder Bill Gore, literary critic Wayne C. Booth, and major league pitcher Nick Willhite are buried.
When was Highland incorporated?
Highland was incorporated as a city in 1870, according to FamilySearch records.
What happened to the farmland that became Highland's subdivisions?
Former Utah County farmland and orchard land above Dry Creek and elsewhere were platted into residential subdivisions beginning in the late 1990s and 2000s. Examples include Dry Creek Phase 1, platted in 1997 on farmland above Dry Creek, and Dry Creek Highlands Phase 4, platted in 2005 on former farmland.
Who has lived in Highland's notable houses?
Ownership records show houses passing through builders such as Ivory Homes and Jewkes Brothers Construction to private owners, including the owners on West Broadleaf Hollow Circle, the owners and the owners families on Broadleaf Hollow Lane, the owners on West Southern Cross Court, and the owners on West Dry Creek Circle since 2014.
What happened at Lone Peak High School?
Lone Peak High School opened in 1997 to relieve overcrowding from Alpine, Highland, and Cedar Hills, and went on to build one of the strongest high school basketball programs in the country, winning state titles through the 2000s and 2010s and reaching a number-one national ranking in 2013.
Is there a notable burial connected to Highland?
Bill Gore, who left DuPont in 1958 to found W. L. Gore & Associates on the plastic PTFE, is buried within two miles of Highland at Alpine City Cemetery, alongside Wayne C. Booth and Nick Willhite.