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Why did St. Paul build a UFO pad?
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- The centennial proposal and town ceremony
- Paul Hellyer's role and what it did not mean
- Space Age optimism in the plaque and design
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Introduction
The official opening of the St. Paul UFO Landing Pad on 3 June 1967 is the moment that transformed an unusual local idea into a recognised part of Alberta’s public history. The concrete structure had been conceived as a Canadian Centennial project, but its significance comes from the opening ceremony itself. By bringing a federal cabinet minister to inaugurate the site and by wrapping the project in the language of peace, internationalism and the Space Age, St. Paul turned a novelty attraction into what Guinness World Records later recognised as the world’s first official UFO landing pad. [Guinness World Records]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
Within Alberta’s UFO culture, the opening matters less as evidence of extraterrestrial visitation than as evidence of how UFO imagery entered mainstream civic life. The event reflected the optimism of 1967, when space exploration, science fiction and national celebration overlapped in a way that made a UFO landing pad seem imaginative rather than eccentric. [St. Paul]stpaul.caufo landing padSt. PaulThe Landing PadOut of this world… In 1967, a proposal was made to build the world's first UFO Landing Pad as a landmark for the…
Why did St. Paul build a UFO pad?
The project emerged during Canada’s centennial year, when communities across the country were creating monuments and public works to mark one hundred years of Confederation. St. Paul chose a distinctly futuristic theme. Rather than commemorating a battle, pioneer settlement or local industry, town leaders proposed a landing place for visitors from outer space. The proposal was accepted as a centennial project, and the federal government supported the celebrations surrounding its opening. During the ceremony, St. Paul was declared the “Centennial Capital of Canada”, giving the event national visibility beyond northeastern Alberta. [St. Paul]stpaul.caufo landing padSt. PaulThe Landing PadOut of this world… In 1967, a proposal was made to build the world's first UFO Landing Pad as a landmark for the…
The idea was also practical. Small towns competing for attention needed memorable attractions, and the UFO concept immediately distinguished St. Paul from hundreds of other centennial projects. Yet the town did not present the pad as proof that aliens existed. The attraction was framed as a symbolic welcome, a blend of humour, civic pride and confidence in humanity’s future in space. [St. Paul]stpaul.caufo landing padSt. PaulThe Landing PadOut of this world… In 1967, a proposal was made to build the world's first UFO Landing Pad as a landmark for the…
The centennial proposal and town ceremony
The opening ceremony on 3 June 1967 gave the project its enduring status. Guinness World Records identifies that date as the formal inauguration of the world’s first official UFO landing pad. Crowds gathered for a highly public celebration that deliberately embraced Space Age imagery while remaining part of a mainstream centennial programme. [Guinness World Records]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
The structure itself was substantial rather than temporary. Built from concrete and designed as a permanent landmark, it included a raised platform and a map of Canada incorporated into the design. The investment signalled that the town intended the project to outlast the centennial year rather than function as a short-lived publicity stunt. [Guinness World Records]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
In the context of Alberta UFO history, this distinction is important. Many UFO stories revolve around reported sightings, witness testimony or unexplained events. The St. Paul opening was different: it was a public ceremony creating a monument dedicated to the idea of future visitors, not a response to any specific UFO incident. [Travel Alberta]travelalberta.comTravel AlbertaUFO Landing Pad | Canada's AlbertaThe UFO Landing Pad has never welcomed alien visitors, it has served a vital purpose for…
Paul Hellyer’s role and what it did not mean
A key reason the opening attracted attention was the presence of Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Paul Hellyer, who formally inaugurated the landing pad. His participation gave the ceremony an official character that helped establish the site’s later reputation as an “official” UFO landing pad. [Guinness World Records]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
However, it is important not to read later UFO controversies back into the 1967 event. Decades after leaving government, Hellyer became internationally known for his personal claims about UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Those statements were made many years after the St. Paul ceremony and were not the reason he attended the opening. In 1967 he was appearing in his role as a senior federal minister participating in centennial celebrations, not endorsing alien visitation. [The Canadian Encyclopedia]thecanadianencyclopedia.capaul hellyerThe Canadian EncyclopediaPaul HellyerFeb 13, 2008 — UFOs and Extraterrestrials. Hellyer was a senior cabinet minister during two of Canad…
This distinction often gets blurred in popular retellings. The historical record shows that Hellyer’s attendance gave the project ceremonial legitimacy, but it did not represent a government declaration that UFOs were real. The opening was a civic celebration, not an official investigation or policy statement. [Guinness World Records]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
Space Age optimism in the plaque and design
The most revealing part of the 1967 opening may be the wording placed beside the landing pad. The plaque declared the area beneath the structure “international” territory and expressed hope that humanity would keep outer space free from war and conflict. It welcomed all future visitors, whether from Earth or elsewhere. [Behind the Hedge]behindthehedge.wordpress.comthoughts on a ufo landing padBehind the HedgeThoughts on a UFO Landing Pad | Behind the Hedge15 Aug 2023 — The area under the world's first UFO landing pad was design…
Those words reflected a very specific historical moment. The late 1960s were marked by rapid advances in space exploration, Cold War tensions and widespread belief that technology could improve the future. The plaque’s language was less about aliens than about peace. It imagined space travel becoming routine and argued that humanity should carry cooperative values into that future. [Behind the Hedge]behindthehedge.wordpress.comthoughts on a ufo landing padBehind the HedgeThoughts on a UFO Landing Pad | Behind the Hedge15 Aug 2023 — The area under the world's first UFO landing pad was design…
The design reinforced that message. The landing pad looked futuristic, incorporated a map of Canada and presented itself as a welcoming destination rather than a defensive installation. In a period when many discussions of space were tied to military competition between superpowers, St. Paul offered a deliberately optimistic alternative. [Guinness World Records]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
Why the 1967 opening still matters
The opening ceremony remains the defining moment in the history of the St. Paul UFO Landing Pad because it converted a local centennial idea into a lasting cultural symbol. Alberta has produced many UFO reports and investigations, but few have generated a civic landmark that survived for decades and became part of a community’s identity. [Travel Alberta]travelalberta.comTravel AlbertaUFO Landing Pad | Canada's AlbertaThe UFO Landing Pad has never welcomed alien visitors, it has served a vital purpose for…
For readers interested in Alberta’s UFO history, the significance of 3 June 1967 lies not in evidence of extraterrestrial contact but in what it reveals about public attitudes. The ceremony showed how UFO imagery could move from newspaper headlines and science-fiction imagination into municipal culture. St. Paul’s landing pad became official not because a UFO landed there, but because a town, a centennial celebration and a federal minister together chose to make the idea part of Canada’s optimistic Space Age story. [Guinness World Records+2St. Paul]guinnessworldrecords.comRelated Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO…Read more…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Why did St. Paul build a UFO pad?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Captures the mainstream UFO interest that made a civic UFO project plausible in 1967.
The Right Stuff
Rating: 4.5/5 from 8 Google Books ratings
Reflects the era of space optimism that shaped the ceremony, symbolism, and design of the landing pad.
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Endnotes
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Source: guinnessworldrecords.com
Link: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-official-ufo-landing-padSource snippet
Related Articles. Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits with world's first UFO...Read more...
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Source: stpaul.ca
Title: ufo landing pad
Link: https://www.stpaul.ca/visitors/ufo-landing-padSource snippet
St. PaulThe Landing PadOut of this world... In 1967, a proposal was made to build the world's first UFO Landing Pad as a landmark for the...
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Source: guinnessworldrecords.com
Link: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2025/6/please-come-in-peace-canada-prepared-for-alien-visits-with-worlds-first-ufo-landing-padSource snippet
Please come in peace: Canada prepared for alien visits...3 Jun 2025 — Built in 1967 as a Canadian Centennial project, the concrete platf...
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Source: iflscience.com
Title: canada is home to the worlds first official ufo landing pad 80526
Link: https://www.iflscience.com/canada-is-home-to-the-worlds-first-official-ufo-landing-pad-80526Source snippet
St Paul in Northern Alberta lies the world's first ever UFO landing pad. The idea came about as part of Canada's centennial celebrations...
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Source: travelalberta.com
Link: https://www.travelalberta.com/listings/ufo-landing-pad-20618Source snippet
Travel AlbertaUFO Landing Pad | Canada's AlbertaThe UFO Landing Pad has never welcomed alien visitors, it has served a vital purpose for...
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Source: tourismealberta.ca
Title: ufo landing pad
Link: https://tourismealberta.ca/en/attrait/ufo-landing-pad/Source snippet
"Built in 1967, the UFO Landing Pad stands for unity.... UFO Landing Pad, 53 Street, Saint Paul, AB, Canada · [https://www.stpaul.ca/visit..."](https://www.stpaul.ca/visit...")...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Paul Hellyer
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hellyer -
Source: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
Title: paul hellyer
Link: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-hellyerSource snippet
The Canadian EncyclopediaPaul HellyerFeb 13, 2008 — UFOs and Extraterrestrials. Hellyer was a senior cabinet minister during two of Canad...
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Source: behindthehedge.wordpress.com
Title: thoughts on a ufo landing pad
Link: https://behindthehedge.wordpress.com/2023/08/15/thoughts-on-a-ufo-landing-pad/Source snippet
Behind the HedgeThoughts on a UFO Landing Pad | Behind the Hedge15 Aug 2023 — The area under the world's first UFO landing pad was design...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/stpaulagsociety/posts/-visitors-from-mars-officially-welcomed-canadas-minister-of-national-defence-to-/1392306986265115/Source snippet
to St. Paul in 1967. Yes… this is REAL Alberta...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: St Paul
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uWFO4DciLoSource snippet
Exploring Saint Paul, Alberta and the World Famous UFO Landing Pad...
Additional References
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Source: atlasobscura.com
Link: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/world-s-first-ufo-landing-padSource snippet
World's First UFO Landing Pad in Saint PaulWorld's First UFO Landing Pad. Canadian centennial project designed to gather information abou...
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWY4H01kbNF/Source snippet
canada ufo landing padCanadians have interesting reactions to UFOs. How does your country react?.. #ufo #alien #ovni #ufosighting. more...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/CanadianHistoryEhx/posts/on-this-day-in-1967-the-ufo-landing-pad-in-st-paul-alberta-was-completed-as-the-/1437538985082246/Source snippet
built the world's first UFO landing pad St. Paul, Alberta, is home to the world's first landing pad for alien life. The raised...
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Source: tripadvisor.in
Title: Attraction Review g499110 d7066512 Reviews or20 UFO Landing Pad St Paul Alberta
Link: https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g499110-d7066512-Reviews-or20-UFO_Landing_Pad-St_Paul_Alberta.htmlSource snippet
There is places to take photos with aliens and the lights flash all the way around it.Take...Read more...
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Source: x.com
Link: https://x.com/GWR/status/1532764799536451586Source snippet
irie town of St Paul, in Alberta, Canada, and was formally...Read more...
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Source: lakelandtoday.ca
Title: ufo landing pad the best landmark in the lakeland 11106881
Link: https://www.lakelandtoday.ca/st-paul-news/ufo-landing-pad-the-best-landmark-in-the-lakeland-11106881Source snippet
Paul's main street, has been in place since Canada's centennial in 1967. In honour of Canada's centennial...Read more...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: Official Opening of UFO Landing Pad in St
Link: https://www.facebook.com/oldcanada/posts/official-opening-of-ufo-landing-pad-in-st-paul-alberta-in-1967/1350357550458571/Source snippet
Paul, Alberta...The world's first UFO Landing Pad was opened on June 3rd, 1967 in St. Paul, Alberta, Canada. It stands for unity and was...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1qngbl0/canadian_defence_minister_paul_hellyer_didnt/Source snippet
e real, multiple alien species have visited Earth...
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Source: reddit.com
Title: The UFO landing pad in St
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/acclaimedwrld/comments/1mcbkgk/the_ufo_landing_pad_in_st_paul_canada_1967/Source snippet
Paul, Canada, 1967Jul 29, 2025 — It was officially opened on June 3, 1967, by Canada's then Minister of National Defence, Paul Hellyer...
Published: June 3, 1967
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Source: amainsider.com
Title: Where in the world: UFO Landing Pad
Link: https://amainsider.com/where-in-the-world-ufo-landing-pad/Source snippet
Paul, Alberta. In 1967, a proposal was made to build the world's first UFO landing pad...Read more...
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