Place · United States
The history of Highland
Assembled from 7 dug tiles · 58 sourced records · 1849–now · last reviewed 19 September 2026
Highland, Utah, was incorporated as a city in 1870 on bench ground above old Lake Bonneville, later farmed before subdivisions such as Dry Creek Highlands and Blessing Rock at Beacon Hill covered it with houses built from the 1990s onward, held since by successive families through sales, mortgages and liens.
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 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
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 the owners
A private buyer 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, 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
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
A private buyer purchased the freshly built home in 2005, financing it as a residence. Utah County Land Records
2005
The single-family home at 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 a private buyer 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 a private buyer. Utah County Land Records
Questions about Highland
What is Highland, Utah known for historically?
Highland is known locally for Lone Peak High School, built in 1997, whose basketball program won state titles through the 2000s and 2010s and reached a number-one national ranking in 2013. 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 major league pitcher Nick Willhite.
When was Highland incorporated?
Highland was incorporated as a city in 1870, according to FamilySearch records.
What did the land in Highland look like before it was built on?
Much of Highland's ground began as lake bottom and shoreline left by the retreating Lake Bonneville, later used as open farm and ranch land in Utah County before developers such as Ivory Development and Jewkes Brothers Construction platted it into subdivisions from 2002 to 2014.
What happened at the Dry Creek Highlands subdivision lots?
Lot 509 was platted in 2014 and built on by Ivory Homes in 2015, sold to a private buyer, with his wife added to the title during a 2020 refinance. Lot 402, platted in 2005, was built on in 2011, sold to the owners, and passed through mortgages, a 2014 concrete lien, and a 2017 sale to a private buyer.
Who has owned the house at West Southern Cross Court?
The house was built in 2005 by Jewkes Brothers Construction on Lot 217 of the Blessing Rock at Beacon Hill subdivision, platted in 2004, and bought that year by a private owner before passing through a private buyer, a private buyer, and eventually to the owners, who moved title into a trust in 2025.
Is there any record of notable events, such as fires or crashes, in Highland?
Yes. A wildfire burned 14 acres near one Highland address in June 2025, and a motorcycle crash was recorded nearby in May 2026.