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  • Day 45

    Chicken: Post Ofc & Gold Dredge

    June 16, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    Today’s plan was to hop in the toad and explore Chicken ... 15 miles up the road from our campground. We’d heard horror stories about potholes and frost heaves on theTaylor Highway. We found both, but except in a few places, repairs had already been made.

    Our first stop was at the Chicken Post Office, which dates back to 1903. Not because we had any business to transact, but because bits and pieces of the Jack Wade Dredge are exhibited nearby. Turns out that we were charmed by the log cabin post office, and its little garden, and the chicken memorabilia tucked into nooks and crannies.

    The dredge was sent up here in 1906-1907 from Dawson City, in Canada’s Yukon Territory, by way of the Fortymile River. A bucket line dredge, it was one of the first to operate in the local mining district that is described as being the place of the 1886 Gold Rush before “the Gold Rush” ... the latter being a reference to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896.

    The dredge was apparently dismantled by the BLM and moved here in 2007. Having already seen a dredge of this kind on the Steese Highway, we appreciated the well-done info board nearby that explained how it was used to mine gold.
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