Pauls Valley

History

The area that eventually became the city of Pauls Valley was one of the earliest European-American settlements in what was then known as Indian Territory. Smith Paul, born in 1809 in New Bern, North Carolina, discovered the fertile bottom land which is now Pauls Valley while a member of a wagon train traveling to California. Paul described the land as "a section where the bottom land was rich and blue stem grass grew so high that a man on horseback was almost hidden in its foliage." Mail to the Pauls was often addressed to "Smith Paul's Large Farm". By 1871, postal service was established in the area, although the post office was designated "Paul's Valley, Arkansas", because the Indian Territory was being administered out of Arkansas at that time. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (a.k.a. Santa Fe Railway) shortened the name to "Paul's Valley" when it built a track through the community in 1887, completing its connection between Kansas and the Gulf Coast. The railroad brought growth and prosperity to Smith Paul's Valley. The first newspaper was published in 1887. The Pauls Valley town site was laid out in 1892, though the plat was not approved by the Dawes Commission until 1903. At the time of its founding, Pauls Valley was located in Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation. A U.S. courthouse was built in 1895. The first white school in Indian Territory was established, and brick buildings were built downtown. In 1909, the streets were bricked. Today, Pauls Valley has more brick streets——than any other town in the United States. From 1948–1954, Pauls Valley was home to the Pauls Valley Raiders, a minor league baseball team. The Pauls Valley Raiders were a member of the Class D Sooner State League and an affiliate of the New York Giants (1952–1953). The Pauls…

Geography

Pauls Valley is located east of the center of Garvin County. It is south of Oklahoma City, at the junction of Interstate 35 and State Highway 19. The Washita River, a tributary of the Red River, flows through the city north of the downtown area. The Pauls Valley City Lake, located about northeast of the center of town, offers recreational opportunities, including fishing, camping, swimming, Jet Skiing, hunting, and a pavilion for groups to use.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  142
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  118
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  110
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  99
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  76
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

  Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  68
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  65
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  60

Largest nearby schools

• Pauls Valley Elementary School
  Elementary · Pauls Valley · 470 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• PAULS VALLEY JHS
  Middle · Pauls Valley · 336 students · 16:1 ratio
• WHITEBEAD PUBLIC SCHOOL
  Elementary · Pauls Valley · 333 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• PAULS VALLEY HS
  High · Pauls Valley · 312 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Pauls Valley Intermediate School
  Middle · Pauls Valley · 278 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• CENTRAL ES
  Elementary · Wynnewood · 277 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• WYNNEWOOD MS
  Middle · Wynnewood · 214 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• WYNNEWOOD HS
  High · Wynnewood · 210 students · 17.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.29 — 2026-09-04
  2 km SSW of Dibble, Oklahoma
• M 3.5 — 2026-05-19
  2 km ESE of Johnson, Oklahoma
• M 2.72 — 2026-05-15
  4 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma
• M 2.91 — 2026-03-22
  5 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma
• M 2.76 — 2026-03-21
  10 km N of Alex, Oklahoma
• M 3.27 — 2026-03-01
  7 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma