On April 10th, 1909, the dream of a Métis colony was abandoned and St. Paul des Métis was officially opened to settlers of all cultures. Homesteaders had lined up all morning, hoping to get first crack at the area’s rich farm land. Many small businesses also showed up, hoping to make some money from the new customers, and the tiny town of St. Paul began to take shape as a developing western settlement. Hotels, a lumberyard, a post office and telegraph office, and supply stores were among the first businesses to line the streets of St. Paul.
Many of the new arrivals at the Land Agency were French settlers from the surrounding areas and Quebec. However, homesteaders from all backgrounds, including Ukraine and the United Kingdom, were also eager to stake their claim. Over the next ten years, the town grew. By the 1920s there was a town council and in 1936, St. Paul was officially granted village status.
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