Anchorage Daily News

CHICKALOON

POPULATION: 282 (2006)

LOCATION: On the Chickaloon River, beginning at Mile 72 Glenn Highway, 26 miles northeast of Palmer in the Talkeetna Mountains and a 90-minute drive from Anchorage.

DESCRIPTION: A community composed of two settlements, Chickaloon Native Village and the non-Native area represented by the Chickaloon Community Council. Residents -- about 17 percent Alaska Native or part Native -- are extremely proactive regarding subsistence and sovereignty issues. Local retail businesses including a motel/lodge, gas station and store, and a post office provide most jobs. There is one school, attended by about 20 students.

HISTORY: Athabascans have occupied this territory for centuries. The Chickaloon River was named after Chief Chiklu. A non-Native settlement was established in the area around 1916 when the Naval Coal Reserve was mined. The Chickaloon Bridge was built in 1917. Coal mining occurred in various parts of the area but had ceased by 1925, and the U.S. Navy dismantled the buildings. In 1958, the Naval Reserve land reverted to public domain and was opened to homesteaders.

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