Chicken, Alaska

Chicken, AK – Early miners in the late 1800’s lived off the Ptarmigan in this area. The Ptarmigan is similar to a chicken and was one of the only food sources in the area. In 1902, the local settlers incorporated their new town. They named it Ptarmigan in honor of this bird which was a delight to eat. However, controversy grew around the spelling and the pronunciation of the name. To avoid confusion to visitors, the citizens changed the name to “Chicken”.  I am not kidding!  Chicken, AK claims to be the second town to incorporate in the history of Alaska.