Chicken, a gold mining community founded in late 1800s, is rich in history and ideally located to take advantage of the Fortymile geography. Chicken, supposedly so named because early miners could not agree on the spelling of Ptarmigan, a local chicken-like bird, is a National Historic Site and home to two gold dredges from the mining era. The first post office was established in 1903. The Chicken Creek Hotel was built in 1906 and later served as a school where Anne “Tisha” Purdy taught before writing her highly acclaimed book Tisha. The hotel still stands along with a dozen other buildings of that era, and the Pedro Dredge, which originally mined in the Fairbanks area before its move to Chicken in 1959. The dredge is one of the few dredges in the State open to the public. Today, Chicken is home to an eclectic collection of miners, trappers, artists, adventurists and travelers from around the globe. Visitors will find several creative shops, an espresso/cappuccino bar, a saloon, a couple cafes, gold panning, river recreation, several historical tours and more. The small community lies in the Fortymile River Basin, the aboriginal home to the Han Kutchin Indians. It is less than a mile from the Mosquito Fork, which is one of several watercraft entries into the Fortymile Wild and Scenic River system. Chicken still services the gold miners of the Fortymile Mining District and provides a number of mining opportunities for visitors. The area is a favorite for moose and caribou hunters. Other summer activities include rafting, canoeing, fishing, ATVing and hiking the local trails. In winter, the closed Taylor and Top of the World Highway provide snow machine access with one of the States favorite Poker Runs from Tok to Dawson and back.