Sentence:  The resultant town , platted in 1847 and named for the patron of Father Galtier 's mission , St. Paul , was to become an important center of the fur trade and was to take on a new <WSD>interest</WSD> for those Selkirkers who remained at Red River . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.)