Monday 13 June 2016

Vulcan, Canada


Vulcan is a town in the prairies of southern Alberta, Canada, within Vulcan County. It is located on Highway 23, midway between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge. The population of the town was 1,836 in 2011.
Vulcan was named by a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway after the Roman God of Fire – Vulcan. Originally, all the streets of Vulcan were named after gods and goddesses of the classical world such as Juno, Mars, and Jupiter. The community was incorporated as a village on December 23, 1912 and then as a town on June 15, 1921. In July 1927, a major tornado destroyed many homes and the new curling rink in the town. That tornado was made famous when a photograph of it approaching Vulcan was used for the "tornado" article in Encyclopædia Britannica.
The town's name has brought some attention that has helped it become a tourist attraction. In the Star Trek television and feature film series it is the name of the homeworld of Spock and his fellow Vulcans.
Capitalizing on this coincidence, the town has built a Star Trek–themed tourist station (the Tourism and Trek Station), which provides tourist information, displays Star Trek memorabilia, provides unique photo opportunities, and allows visitors to participate in The Vulcan Space Adventure virtual reality game. Nearby, a replica of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek V has been mounted on a pedestal which includes writing from Trek alien languages like Klingon. The town has also created space-themed murals and signs, and hosts an annual community-wide Star Trek convention known as "Spock Days". This convention attracts hundreds of Star Trek fans from around the world. In 2013, the TrekCetera Star Trek museum opened in Vulcan. A plaque commemorates a Star Trek postage stamp issued by Canada Post in 2016, which was unveiled in Vulcan and which features Spock.
Source: Wikipedia

Yippee! A card from Vulcan! Thanks very much to Rob and Anaik who made
a special trip to Vulcan for the Commemorative Star Trek issue and the
amazing Spock Vulcan Postmark!! 
Sent: 5 May 2016    Received: 25 May 2016  Travelled:  20 days

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