A Western town straight out of Bonanza has sprung up in Colorado, and while it is too late for Billy the Kid to move in, it is just right for Bill the Billionaire. Facebook, Follow us on It may be a blessing or a curse. (Photo by Caveman Chuck Coker.). Dateline: 7-11 Ranch Murder Near Billionaire Bill Koch's Old West Town Recently, the mansion a home that will be the largest in Gunnison County made it through the planning process. But can Koch, the history buff, really be surprised at the local reaction? Billy was more intellectual and liked the different, more fascinating people. Charles and David now run Koch Industries, the second-largest private company in the United States, behind Cargill. The Koch Brother's 'Western Town' in Photos Photos - ABC News 2023 Richard Beal. It's an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. Forbes estimates Kochs net worth at close to $4 billion. Koch swings his leg over the top of his mount and hops off. Instead, he's putting up a gate and locking down the town. Wild Bill Koch Builds a Private Town Out West Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. Its full-size buildings come with polished brass and carved-mahogany details and are fronted with board sidewalks and Bill Koch talks to members of the media inside the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this year about his vast collection of American Western frontier memorabilia, which he is moving to Colorado. I always wanted my mothers affection but could never get it, he says. The first night, Koch hosted the men for dinner at the ranch. It is no secret that energy magnate and collector Bill Koch is a fan of the old West, but the construction of this small town may be taking the obsession to a new level. It has about 50 buildings, including a saloon, a church, a jail, a firehouse, a livery and a train station. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. Soon, it will have a mansion on a hill so the towns founder can look down on his creation. Smithsonian to Display Bill Koch's Vast Collection of Western Ephemera The collection of properties may appear to be stereotypical billionaire preening, but Koch says he has different intentions. She is a nice lady, SHUT UP YUH HUH. I want to have a place for my family and extended family to keep us all together, he says. Here's How. Fred Koch also had a deep love of the West and at one time was one of the largest ranchers in the United States, owning more than two million acres of ranchlands in Texas, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana. After the festivities died down, Koch retreated to his quarters, where he sat in a rocking chair on the deck, flossing his teeth and looking at the stars, his town spread out beneath him. Theres a 20-person team dedicated to overseeing, authenticating, and building the town and Kochs collection of Western memorabilia, which includes more than one million itemsincluding Frederic Remingtons painting The Trooper, General George A. Custers Springfield rifle, the only photograph of Billy the Kid (valued at $2.3 million), and an early Colorado hearse (a white horse-drawn carriage). Riding with him, and seeing him against this Western backdrop, it was easy to forget his colorful romantic history (hes been married three times and had a public falling-out with a mistress in 1995); his reputation for being litigious (hes been involved in 26 personal lawsuits); and his accomplishments as a sailor (he won the Americas Cup in 1992). It was during these summers that Koch says he, too, fell in love with the West. 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All rights reserved. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. It's an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. A flat-brimmed cowboy hat hid his blue eyes and thick, tousled white hair. Rebecca Schoenkopf is the owner, publisher, and editrix of Wonkette. But Bill Koch, the other billionaire Koch brother, has a different plan for his money. Koch says he invited Martensenand five other executives thought to be involved in the schemeto the ranch for a corporate retreat in mid-March. Koch says Martensen and the other implicated executives had a scam going against us that cost us $40 million.. 1675 Larimer St. Mr Reed said Gunnison County does not restrict the size of residences, but Koch's mansion went before the planning commission because of a regulation that a residence that big must not be obtrusive. In fact, he has crammed part of a museum with his collections this year. Twitter, Follow us on And Kochs offered to build a mountain bike trail connecting Crested Butte to Carbondale. This sort of thing is why progressive taxation is important. Koch will have a lot of room to keep his collections in Colorado. Bill Koch is building a cool Wild West town and you can't come David now says hes the handsome one and Im the smart one. When you take from the rich and give to the poor, you end up generating a lot of extra welfare as people who don't have very much can have their lives greatly improved at relatively low cost. Kelley McMillan Manley 5280 February 2013 All things Colorado delivered straight to your inbox. Billionaire Builds His Own Private Old West Town - The Inquisitr What I really like about the West, he says, is the stand-your-ground mentality and the idea that you have to take care of yourself, take care of your family, and take care of the people that surround you. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to go to the desired page. As people get richer and richer, it gets harder and harder to think of cost-effective ways of spending the marginal dollar on amusing yourself. Though Oxbow is now firmly entrenched in the business of carbon-based products, one of its first endeavors was in alternative energygeothermal and hydroelectric plants in Nevada, the Philippines, and Costa Rica. Kochs six-foot-four-inch frameclad in a collared shirt, chaps, boots, and spurssat comfortably atop his palomino mount as we toured his estate, which lies just below the Ragged Mountains, a fluted wall of granite that rises from the high mesas of western Colorado. [1] Early life [ edit] In the meantime, weve gone ahead and made this visitors badge, which we think is of high-enough quality to fool even the eagle eyes at Kochtown, USA. This town is billionaire Bill Kochs fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. He owns Jesse James gun, Wyatt Earps vest, Sitting Bulls rifle and a flag that belonged to Gen. George Custer. Kochs natural gas activities in the area may also be muddying the waters of the debate. Bill Koch's Wild West Adventure The controversial businessman is building an Old West town near Paonia that's a full-scale reproduction of a 19th-century settlement. Bill Koch's Wild West | Colorado Public Radio It could take years for either case to go to trial. Youre not alone. Bill Koch may have found the answer after building his own private Old West town in Colorado. Koch also agreed to downsize a bit. Koch is trying to sew up more privacy at Bear Ranch through a land swap that brought his name into the public eye in Delta and Gunnison counties. OPEN GOV US CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. - Energy billionaire Bill Koch is known for spending lavishly to buy Western artifacts, and now he's building his own old West town in Colorado.The Denver Serving Aspen and Snowmass Village, CO Martensen said no. In 1983, Koch, determined to create an identity separate from his brothers and family name, founded Oxbow Carbon. Regardless of the land swaps status, Kochs immediate family will come to western Colorado to see the town this spring. He has more Charles Russell paintings and Frederic Remington bronzes than most museums. Dont get too excited, loser! That's Wild: Billionaire Bill Koch owns a private Wild West town in Bill Koch is the brother of David and Charles Koch, two other billionaires who have made headlines in recent years for shoveling money to conservative causes, including the Tea Party movement. Space planning is key, and less really is often more. On this day, however, it played out in a parking lot outside a modest government building in Bristol where officials . Another chimed in, A peasant like you isnt going to give him your few pennies and get in there. Marston added, People like us are never considered to be fully human by him., Ullrey, whos never met or worked for Koch, and does not have any family thats ever been employed by him, says, There is a lot of emotion involved in this, and the emotion is irrelevant. Koch, who was not available for comment, also owns four properties in upper Castle Creek Valley near Aspen, including the 17,000-square-foot Elk Mountain Lodge that he turned into a personal residence when he bought it and the other three properties for $51 million in 2007. The club, which would have been a watering hole for affluent types in the late 1800s, has a mahogany bar with two female figures sculpted out of the wood that overlook the room. Kochs designer and project manager agreed to tone down lighting so it wont be shining into the Raggeds Wilderness. Its an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. When his father was around, he would stick up for young Bill, something that affected him deeply. I had to earn that on my own. Bill Koch is building a private town to house his collection of Will there be real girls here? I asked. Reed said they took into account that a third of the Koch mansion will be underground and it will be blocked by a hillside. Koch will have a lot of room to keep his collections in Colorado. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The comments below have not been moderated. Zhan says there were no armed guards, and that both men were offered a cell phone to use once they left the ranch, where cellular reception is limited. Reed said a third of the mansion will be underground and the building will be blocked by a hillside. The high mesas in the distance silhouetted Kochs frame as the late-afternoon sun began to cast long shadows. As people get richer and richer, it gets harder and harder to think of cost-effective ways of spending the marginal dollar on amusing yourself. This town is billionaire Bill Kochs fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. Bill Koch is the brother of David and Charles Koch, two other billionaires who have made headlines in recent years for shoveling money to conservative causes, including the Tea Party movement. Reed said Gunnison County has no restrictions on the size of residences, but the Koch home came before the planning commission because of a regulation that a residence of that size must not be obtrusive.. She is very tired with this fucking nonsense all of the time, and it would be terrific if you sent money to keep this bitch afloat. Its a big supplier of sulfur, sulfuric acid, and fertilizers. Billionaires need to either plot schemes for world domination or else build replica towns at vast expense. His mother, while beautiful and charming, was focused on her social life, Koch says, and the boys were entrusted to nannies. Koch says he separated the six men to avoid any collusion between them. It has about 50 buildings, including a saloon, a church, a jail, a firehouse, a livery and a train station. In fact, it's . In the twilight of his life, Koch says he wants to focus on the things he loves the most: his family, collecting, and building the Old West town. The compound will also include a 21,762-square-foot mansion with an elevator, a wine room and his-and-hers .
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