In the Fortymile Mining District, on the Valdez-Eagle trail, was the mining town of Chicken, distinguished by the two-story Chicken Creek Hotel, constructed by Harvey Van Hook in 1906. When the territory acquired the building in 1925 to use it as a school, the second story was removed. In 1946, the building was used again as a roadhouse. Seven years later, the Fairbanks Exploration Company acquired it and still owns it but does not use it. Active mining occurs near the townsite, which is now private property.
The log building is constructed of squared logs, butted at the corners and nailed into corner boards. There are two rooms across the front, each with a door and two windows in the front of the building, and one room across the rear. The building has a low gable roof, covered with corrugated metal.