Chicken

Chicken, Alaska is one of the most interesting towns in the north primarily because of what has not been done versus what has been done. The visitor services infrastructure is good, however, it is still a raw frontier town, which is one of its charms. Chicken is located at mile 66 of the Taylor Highway and is 78 miles from Tok. The history of Chicken is rich and began with the discovery of gold, on Franklin Gulch, in 1886. Ten years later, in 1896, Bob Mathieson made a major discovery on Upper Chicken Creek, staked his claim and built a cabin. 700 miners were thought to be working the area between 1896 and 1898. A post office was established in 1903 to serve a population of around 400. In 1906, Harvey Van Hook built the two-story Chicken Creek Hotel.

The Historic Town of Chicken was a hub of activity for the southern portion of the Fortymile Mining District. Many of the original buildings still stand including “Tisha’s Schoolhouse” made famous by the book Tisha. The book chronicles Anne Purdy’s life as a teacher in the town of Chicken in 1927.

In 1939, the F.E. Company began acquiring claims and built a camp on Nora Bench. In 1953, they bought the town site and turned it into a camp for their dredging operation. The Pedro Dredge was moved from Fairbanks to Chicken in 1959 and it operated until 1967.

In 1998, after sitting idle for 31 years, the million pound dredge was moved in one piece to its present location in Chicken. Chicken Gold Camp offers tours of the Pedro Dredge. Chicken Gold Camp, RV Park and Outpost has rooms and cabins. The “Outpost” gift store has Alaska artisan made gifts, clothing, jewelry and more. The cafe serves homemade entrees, fresh-baked pastries, espresso drinks, wood-fired pizza and Alaska craft beers. The camp features gold panning, gold mining outings and historic tours around town. Chicken Gold Camp is a National Historic Site including the Pedro Dredge and mining museum. 1/4 mile south on Airport Road in Chicken. 907-782-4427

riCHArDson HiGHWAY

The Richardson Highway is Alaska’s oldest highway. In 1898 a trail was pushed from Valdez to Eagle in the Interior of Alaska. Residents had requested money from Congress to improve the trail but by the time approval came through, the gold production in the Eagle area had declined. The funds were used instead to improve the Fairbanks portion because of the Felix Pedro gold find in Fairbanks. Major Wilds P. Richardson worked to upgrade the trail to a wagon road in 1910 after the Fairbanks Gold Rush. It was made suitable for vehicles in the 1920s and paved in 1957.

The Richardson connects Valdez and Fairbanks. The drive will take you through the spectacular and narrow Keystone Canyon and across the Thompson Pass where you will encounter Worthington Glacier, one of the few glaciers in the world that you can drive to. From Valdez to Delta Junction there are many opportunities to view the Alaska pipeline, which parallels the highway. Summits are high for Alaska, with Thompson Pass, near Valdez, being the highest at 2,805 ft.

Communities that you will encounter on the highway include: Copper Center, accessed via a loop road at mile 100 or mile 106, is one of the oldest white communities in Alaska’s Interior and served prospectors heading north during the gold rush days. The Richardson Highway gives visitors access to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest National Park in the U.S. and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Turn east onto the Edgerton Highway at mile 83 of the Richardson. The road is good to Chitna but rough and challenging from Chitna to McCarthy. We recommend that you fly in with Wrangell Mountain Air. They offer daily scheduled air service and day tours to the Park from Chitna and Glennallen. Call 800-478-1160 to reserve.

Glennallen is the center of the Copper River Basin, and is one of Alaska’s best outdoor recreation areas. Delta Junction is at the junction of the Alaska and Richardson Highways and is the true end of the Alaska Highway. North Pole is a small Alaskan community, best known as the home of Santa Claus House Gift Shop. Fairbanks is Alaska’s second largest city and is rich in history and culture. The Army's Fort Wainwright and nearby Eielson Air Force base are both an integral part of the community. Connecting Routes 101