St-Paul des Métis becomes St. Paul
The Saint Paul des Métis project did not succeed. It became smaller each year until 1905. Some reasons were:
- Too far from the railway to ship agricultural projects.
- The people did not own the land they farmed..
- There was little money given to start the project or to keep it going.
In 1905 the school was torched. It was not rebuilt.
By this time, the area had been surveyed for homesteads. The land had been loaned to the mission by the Government of Canada. Now the mission (parish) asked the government to allow settlement by French-Canadians wanting to move west. In 1909 the land was opened for homesteaders.
- The Métis received the 80 acres they farmed.
- Other homesteaders lined up at the Land Office to claim their homestead.
In 1936, the village became simply St. Paul. It was on its way to becoming a regional centre for the many Francophone people in the area.
