Place · United States
The history of Highland, one place at a time
Assembled from 7 dug tiles · 58 sourced records · last reviewed 19 September 2026
Highland, Utah, incorporated in 1870, grew from Lake Bonneville's old lake bed and later farmland into subdivisions like Dry Creek Highlands and Blessing Rock at Beacon Hill, platted through the 2000s and 2010s. Its ground holds ordinary residential turnover alongside Lone Peak High School and the nearby resting place of inventor Bill Gore.
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 Highland
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. Highland
1849–now An address, and nothing else on record
5942 West Horizon Drive sits under Utah's Wasatch bench, on ground with no event on file. 5942 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 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
5942 West Southern Cross Court sits on a residential lot in Highland, Utah, with nothing recorded beneath it but the lot itself. 5942 West Southern Cross Court
2004–2021 One lot on a street built all at once
5912 West Horizon Drive sits thirty paces from where you are standing, one house among many, with nothing recorded but its address. 5912 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
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
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 Smart family
Lyle J. and Joyce M. Smart conveyed this parcel to Utah County by warranty deed on December 10, 1997. Utah County Assessor
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, Michael H Brown. 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
February 23, 2005
In February 2005, Solitude Development LLC transferred this lot by quitclaim deed to Jewkes Brothers Construction, who would build the house on it. Utah County Land Records
2005
Aaron Parker Brown and Shannon R Brown purchased the freshly built home in 2005, financing it as a residence. Utah County Land Records
2005
The single-family home at 5942 West Horizon Drive was built in 2005, a 2,612-square-foot house on a third of an acre. Utah County Land Records
February 1905
Solitude Development LLC transferred the parcel to Jewkes Drywall Inc by quit claim deed in early 2005. Utah County Land Records
March 11, 1905
Home Building Consultants LLC sold the newly built house to Frederik Perfumo in March 2005, with a construction loan from Holladay Bank & Trust recorded the same day. Utah County Land Records
March 24, 1905
Staker & Parson Companies recorded a lien against the property in March 2005, tied to the building work under Michael H Brown. Utah County Land Records
Questions about Highland
What is Highland known for historically?
Highland is known for Lone Peak High School, which opened in 1997 and produced a nationally ranked basketball team in 2013 and Mr. Basketball winner Tyler Haws. The town also lies within two miles of Alpine City Cemetery, where Bill Gore, founder of W. L. Gore & Associates, is buried alongside literary critic Wayne C. Booth and pitcher Nick Willhite.
When was Highland incorporated?
Highland incorporated as a city in 1870.
What was the land in Highland before it was developed?
Much of Highland's ground was once the flat bed of ancient Lake Bonneville and, later, open farmland and orchards. Subdivisions such as Dry Creek Highlands, platted in 2005 and 2014, and Blessing Rock at Beacon Hill, platted in 2004, were built over this earlier ground.
Who lived in the houses built in Highland's subdivisions?
Owners recorded across Highland's subdivision lots include the Vukich family, Anthony and Jocelyn Parkinson, Micah Christensen, and Aaron and Shannon Brown, with houses built by Ivory Homes and Jewkes Brothers Construction between 2005 and 2015.
What happened at Lone Peak High School?
Lone Peak High School opened in 1997 to serve Alpine, Highland, and Cedar Hills on former orchard land. Its boys' basketball team was ranked best in the country by national outlets in 2013, and the school produced Mr. Basketball winner Tyler Haws.
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 at Alpine City Cemetery within two miles of Highland, alongside literary critic Wayne C. Booth and major league pitcher Nick Willhite.