Chicken was settled by gold miners in the late 19th century. In 1902 the local post office was established, requiring a community name. Due to the prevalence of ptarmigan in the area, that name was suggested as the official name for the new community. However, the spelling could not be agreed on, and "Chicken" was used to avoid embarrassment. A portion of Chicken, with buildings from the early 1900s and the F.E. Company Dredge No. 4 (Pedro Dredge), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Chicken Historic District. Chicken is the outpost for the 40 Mile mining district. There are still active gold mines and inactive gold dredges in this area. Enough gold was mined here to make it worthwhile to haul huge gold dredges to this remote location.
On September 7, 2021 Jack in the Box released an ad campaign claiming to have purchased the town for 10,000 Cluck Chicken Sandwiches and a commemorative hat. The company explains on a website created for the campaign this was only an ad, but that the company has donated $10,000 to help the town amid the pandemic. However, as of September 2021 the downtown area of Chicken (not owned by Jack in the Box) was for sale, including the Chicken Creek Cafe, the Chicken Creek Saloon, a liquor store, a gas station, the Chicken Mercantile Emporium, and a 1400 sq. ft. residential cabin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 115.4 square miles, all of it land.
Chicken is accessible by air via Chicken Airport, and by road via Alaska Route 5, the Taylor Highway, which is not maintained from mid-October through mid-March.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chicken has a dry-winter subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dwc" on climate maps.
Chicken first appeared as an unincorporated village on the 1930 U.S. Census. It appeared on the 1940 and 1950 censuses, but then did not appear again until 1980, when it was made a census-designated place (CDP). It was removed as a CDP for 1990 and did not report a population, but had its CDP status restored for 2000 and 2010.
Corn Salad is the perfect dish to mix up for a quick side dish or to bring to a potluck or picnic. It's light and so easy to throw together!
- 2 (15-1/4-ounce) cans whole-kernel corn, drained (see Options)
- 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
****Sure, you can make this with fresh corn instead of canned. Just use leftover cooked corn, or cook up a few ears, then cool and strip off the kernels. You can also add almost any fresh garden vegetables you want -- maybe some snap peas or sliced scallions or radishes.
- 1960 – Swanson added desserts to a new four-compartment tray.
- 1964 – Night Hawk name originated from the Night Hawk steak houses that operated in Austin, Texas from 1939 through 1994. The original diners were open all night catering to the late-night crowd. The restaurants produced the first frozen Night Hawk TV dinner in 1964.
- 1969 – The first TV breakfasts were marketed. Great Starts Breakfasts and breakfast sandwiches followed later.
- 1973 – The first Swanson Hungry-Man dinners were marketed; these were larger portions of its regular dinner products.
- 1986 – The first microwave oven-safe trays were marketed.
- 1986 – The Smithsonian Institute inducted the original Swanson TV Dinner tray into the Museum of American History.
