The History of Beaver Creek, Colorado
In 1882, a settler named George Townsend and his wife Allie laid claim to a quiet piece of land next to a small brook named Beaver Creek. The Townsends’ have since come to be known as the “first family of Beaver Creek”, but they never could have imagined that the mountain valley that was visible from their porch window would eventually become an internationally known winter and summer resort destination.
Farmers, ranchers and timber cutters further settled the isolated, pristine Beaver Creek Valley during the late 1800s. In the 1920s, Beaver Creek and Bachelor Gulch were awash in fields of lettuce; a crop that grew exceptionally large and crisp in the high altitude.
In the1950s, the peaceful valley now known as Beaver Creek was owned by a hard working ranch family, the Nottinghams. In 1956 Pete Seibert, a veteran of the 10th Mountain Division, set his sights on what he envisioned as an international ski village in Beaver Creek and attempted to purchase the land. The Nottingham’s refused, a refusal which prompted Seibert to look 15 miles west to what is now known as Vail. Despite the astounding success of nearby Vail, Seibert still longed to complete his vision for Beaver Creek. In the early 1970s, Willis Nottingham finally agreed to sell him an option on his land. Beaver Creek Resort opened on December 15, 1980 with four chairlifts, 28 runs and 425 skiable acres.
Today Beaver Creek has evolved into one of the premier mountain destinations in the world. The mountain has almost quadrupled in size to include 14 lifts, 146 runs and 1,625 skiable acres. The village now boasts a world-class performing arts theatre and cultural center, a unique year-round outdoor ice rink in the heart of the village, many exceptional restaurants, a variety of charming shops and boutiques and some of the world’s finest lodging properties. Not bad for a former lettuce patch!
With a population of nearly 6,000 residents and centrally located along the Interstate 70 corridor, the town of Avon - located at the base of Beaver Creek - is a growing residential and commercial community. The English immigrants who arrived in the area in the latter part of the 1800s were said to have named the area Avon because it reminded them of the Avon River Valley in England, birthplace of William Shakespeare. The town of Avon was developed in 1972 and incorporated in 1978. Home today to the Avon Recreation Center and Nottingham lake and park, Avon hosts many of the valley’s favorite events and activities each summer.
