to
Update
is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 446 at the 2000 census. It is named for Paden Tolbert, a school teacher turned Deputy U.S. Marshall who served the area in the early 1900s.
It is the only town in the United States to be named for a Deputy U.S. Marshall. Paden can be found in the book "The Grapes Of Wrath" as a pit stop for the Jode family. The town was once a stop on the Ft. Smith and Western railroad and was once a big oil boom town. The town is now little but has a big heart and a great small town atmosphere. Lots of changes are going on in Paden. Every June the volunteer fire department hosts the Paden Firemans Picnic, or known by the residents as Paden Day. The events include a small parade, bbq and fish fry, and entertainment and door prizes. Most of the communities events revolve around the school. Paden Public Schools enrolls around 200 students, K-12, each year. The mascot is the Pirate and their colors are orange/black. Sports include Fall and Spring baseball, fast and slow pitch softball, basketball, track, and academic team. The teams are a part of the Little River Conference and are usually in the Class B classification. The Paden Restoration Society and Paden Main Street Organization are two new groups making the town becoming a better place. Paden is a very religious town and has 11 churches in the community with such a small population. Creek Indians, as well as Choctaw, Cherokee, Sac & Fox, and Seminole Indians, make up a lot of the population. The towns original land was given by a Creek Indian as part of their allotment. The Paden Indian Community has won the Creek Nations "Nene Hvkoce" walking program the last two years and will be receiving a walking trail for the community.