RasmaSandra
Yes, you got that right. There are people in the state of Alaska that say to others they live in Chicken. The state bird of Alaska is the ptarmigan which some people say looks like the chicken. In the late 1800s when miners searched for gold they used this bird for food. Then in 1902, it was time to come up with a name for the town. At first, the logical idea was to name the town Ptarmigan however no one was really sure of the spelling and so the town became Chicken. I found a photo of downtown Chicken.
A very unusual town in Arizona has a population of only six. It is named Tortilla Flat known as “the town too tough to die”. This was the last remaining authentic stagecoach stop on the Apache Trail. Apparently the area became Tortilla Flat when Tonto Basin pioneer John Cline and some friends became stranded in the flat by a flash flood. At this time they ran out of food and used the last remaining flour to make tortillas. There are other stories that differ and say the town got its name from a tortilla-shaped butte.
What is really interesting is that Tortilla Flat was purchased in 1998 by a man named Alvin Ross. He was a farmer from Indiana. Today the town consists of a small store and restaurant.
I want to visit this town of only 6 people in Arizona
Sounds like a very unique city! Very interesting article.
A very fun story with interesting information.
Strange funny and silly as well. I have always wondered how people came up with names for their cities/towns.
i love this – chasing after strange city names! I have heard of Tortilla Flats before. But Chicken Alaska is new for me!