Peanut, California

History

Prior to the arrival of settlers, the place that became known as Peanut was inhabited by the Wintu tribe.

In the late 19th century, the area was referred to as Salt Creek. It was a stopping point on the trail from nearby Weaverville to the California coast, offering fresh water and a natural spring. With its cool, mountainous climate, the area is inhospitable to growing peanuts.

The town used to be on Highway 36 until the highway was adjusted, straightening and improving the quality of its route – this was done to provide shorter travels between Red Bluff and the coast, and eliminate a detour into Eureka from Fortuna to Route 299.

Origins of name

In 1898, settlers in Salt Creek, which had a general store called Cuff's, decided to apply for a post office. At the time, the nearest post office was in Hayfork, a seven-mile journey by horse. The name "Salt Creek" was deemed unsuitable because of a United States Board on Geographic Names rule which required single-word town names.

According to California Place Names, the petitioners originally considered naming the town after Mrs. Cuff. When they discussed their application with the postmaster at Weaverville, A. L. Paulsen, he suggested the name "Peanut" instead because it was unique; no other post office in the directory had its name. The postmaster's own fondness of peanuts is also often cited as the reason for his choice. According to the memoir of Salt Creek schoolteacher Joe McKnight, Paulsen was eating peanuts when he suggested the name.

The petitioners added Peanut to their application as one of their choices. The United States Post Office Department approved the name Peanut on January 20, 1900.

Local economy

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.

Peanut once had a sawmill which burned down in the 1940s, or mid-1950s.

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.

Popularity

Peanut became popular with tourists during the presidency of Jimmy Carter, a former peanut farmer. In 1979, a local resident told the Sacramento Bee that tourists came looking for the Peanut post office, because they wanted to "mail a post card with the Peanut postmark." They also said that road maps of the area often included Peanut purely due to the novelty of its name.

References

References

1. {{cite gnis. 264593. Peanut
2. Branson-Potts, Hailey. (September 10, 2020). "The nutty story of a town called Peanut". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
3. Khokha, Sasha. (March 23, 2018). "Peanut: How a Postmaster's Snack Changed a California Town's Name".
4. (December 31, 1981). "Summary Report: Peanut".
5. Sanders, Garth. (October 21, 1970). "Poor old town of Peanut is dead". Record Searchlight.
6. Wiley, Walt. (November 2, 1979). "Where's Peanut? Trinity Town Does Nicely, Thank You". [[The Sacramento Bee]].
7. (October 19, 1972). "HIghway 36: Scenic but Dangerous". Oakland Tribune.
8. Gudde, Erwin Gustav. (1998). "California Place Names". University of California Press.
9. Branson-Potts, Hailey. (September 10, 2020). "A post office and a little town called Peanut (Continued from A1)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
10. (January 2010). "Why Do Languages Change?". Cambridge University Press.