History of the Summit Hill Neighborhood Settlement of the Summit
Hill area dates back to 1805 when Lt. Zebulon Pike, under orders
from President Thomas Jefferson, purchased a tract of land from
the Dakotah Indians as a site for a fort. The land consisted of
nine miles on each side of the Mississippi River and included
the area of Summit Hill. Squatters occupied this land illegally
until 1854 when it went up for sale at public auction. Summit
Hill subsequently became a rural truck and dairy farm area
supplying the growing St. Paul market. The first residential
development of the Summit Hill area took place in the 1850’s and
1860’s when many wealthy and prominent St. Paul families moved
from the central river front area. Leading this exodus was James
C. Burbank, who in 1862 built one of Summit Avenue’s first
mansions at 432 Summit. Burbank, who made his fortune in the
riverboat and stage business, caused a sensation by
incorporating such amazingly modern features as steam heating,
hot and cold water and gas lig