[2][6] It was a stopping point on the trail from nearby Weaverville to the California coast, offering fresh water and a natural spring.

[8] In 1898, settlers in Salt Creek, which had a general store called Cuff's, decided to apply for a post office.

[6][9][10] According to the memoir of Salt Creek schoolteacher Joe McKnight, Paulsen was eating peanuts when he suggested the name.

[9] Although the town was too small to have its own saloon, during Prohibition bootleggers from Peanut became well known locally for supplying high-quality liquor.

[4] In 1970, the owner of land where the town of Peanut once stood, Woody Smith of San Jose, put his 12-acre parcel up for sale.