The Star Trek Town of Vulcan Alberta

So what's the big deal about Vulcan? Well, first, it's the birthplace of my not so famous husband.

The tiny town of Vulcan is nestled between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge, in the prairies of southern Alberta, Canada.

The population of the town is approximately 2,000. It's most definitely a farming community, where the farmers are proud of the wheat, canola and barley they produce.

So how did such a small town gain great fame?

Well, the town's name brought it enough attention to gain notariety. In the Star Trek television and feature film series it is the name of the homeworld of the Vulcans. The home of Spock.

The wise people of this little community capitalized on this coincidence. They built the Tourism and Trek Station, which provides tourist information, displays Star Trek memorabilia, and allows visitors to participate in The Vulcan Space Adventure virtual reality game.

Nearby, on a large pedestal, stands a replica of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek V. Inside, you can find writing from Trek alien languages like Klingon.

Scattered throughout the town you can find space-themed murals and signs. Each year, they host a Star Trek convention known as VulCON: Spock Days/Galaxyfest. Hundreds of Star Trek fans from around the world flock to this worthy event.

Another regular even since 1990, is the annual Vulcan Tinman Triathlon, which takes place at the beginning of June with nearly 1000 particpants.

Here's a little bit more history about the town:

Vulcan was named by a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1915 after the Roman God of Fire - Vulcan. Originally all the streets of the new town of Vulcan were named after gods and goddesses of the classical world.

In July 1927 a major tornado destroyed many homes and the new curling rink of the town. That tornado was made famous when a photograph of it approaching Vulcan was used for the "tornado" article in Encyclopædia Britannica.

At one time the town could also boast of having more grain elevators than any location west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Due to the changing economics of the agricultural industry, one by one the original elevators were taken down. Today Vulcan has only one of the original "prairie skyscrapers" left that once could be seen miles away.

A British Commonwealth Air Training Plan air force base, RCAF Station Vulcan, was located a few kilometers southwest of the town during the Second World War. Many of the old hangars still exist and the runways can still be seen.