Beaver Creek is an unincorporated community in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. Beaver Creek is located immediately south of the town of Avon and encompasses the Beaver Creek Resort and adjacent business, lodging, golf course, and residential areas. The U.S. Post Office at Avon (ZIP Code 81620) serves Beaver Creek postal addresses.<ref name=ZIPcode/> History The Beaver Creek area was settled about 1865. Tucked away in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, Beaver Creek Resort has had a rich history since it first opened to the public in 1980. Located in Eagle County, Beaver Creek is a major ski resort owned and operated by Vail Resorts. Talks of opening a ski resort in Beaver Creek first arose in 1956, as Earl Eaton and John Burke sought possible ways to enter the ski resort operation business. When Denver won the bid for the 1976 Winter Olympics, Beaver Creek would have hosted the alpine skiing events. White River National Forest Beaver Creek ski area operates on National Forest System lands under special use permit to the White River National Forest. The 30-year permit assigns a portion of the bundle of rights associated with land ownership to the permit holder. All lifts, ski trails, and facilities must be approved by the Forest Service in advance prior to construction. Master development plans, construction plans, and summer and winter operating plans are approved by the federal agency prior to each season of operation. Vail Resorts pays a fee to the U.S. Treasury for the use of federal lands amounting to about one dollar per skier. Beaver Creek was originally conceived by Erik Martin, Forest Service Program Manager for Ski Area Administration (1972–2003), White River National Forest, to be a small portion of a larger ski area connected on the east by ski lifts and trails to the Town of Minturn via Meadow Mountain and Grouse Mountain, as well as, Battle Mountain, and Vail ski resort, and on the west to a new entrance portal in Lake Creek. Grouse Mountain was rated excellent for skiing and comparable to Snowmass-at-Aspen by the Forest Service. Skiing connections to Minturn, Battle Mountain, and Vail ski resort was stalled in 1976 due to public opposition. 1976 Winter Olympic Games When Colorado sought to host the 1976 Winter Olympics, Beaver Creek development was part of its successful bid in May 1970. The prestigious alpine downhill race, the showcase event of the Winter Olympics, was planned