Predominantly a farming community, St. Paul is located on Highway 29 about 100 km. northeast of Vegreville in east central Alberta.
St. Paul is home to the world's first UFO landing pad, built as a centennial project in an effort to attract both tourists and Martians to the municipality. The pad consists of a raised platform with a map of Canada embossed on the back stop, consisting of stones provided by each province of Canada.
On June 3, 1967, Paul Hellyer, Minister of National Defense, flew in by helicopter to officially open the Pad.
This small obelisk stands near the 53rd Street sidewalk on the eastern edge of the UFO Plaza and bears a Province of Alberta Heritage Plaque relating a bit of the story of the Winnipeg Trail.
WINNIPEG TRAIL
NEAR THIS POINT THE HIGHWAY CROSSES THE OLD WINNIPEG TRAIL. IT WAS USED EXTENSIVELY AFTER 1860 BY EXPLORERS, TRADERS AND MISSIONARIES UNTIL THE RAILWAY SUPERSEDED IT AS THE IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION LINK BETWEEN EDMONTON AND WINNIPEG. THE AUTOMOBILE AND THE MODERN HIGHWAY RESULTED IN ITS PASSING, FOREVER, FROM THE ALBERTA SCENE.
ERECTED BY THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA