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.. This town is billionaire Bill Koch's fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. Proposed in 2010 by then Congressman John Salazar, a Democrat who lost his bid for re-election that same year, the Central Rockies Land Exchange, as the swap is called, aims to connect the two disparate sides of Bear Ranch into one contiguous piece of property via a Bureau of Land Management parcel. Priceless: Last year, Koch paid a whopping $2.3million for a small photograph of legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid. Ergo, he is just jealous. The Central Rockies Land Exchange, which has been approved by the Delta County and Gunnison County commissioners, must now go before the 113th Congress. 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. Follow us on A new school in Ho Chi Minh City looks like a building-sized playhouse, complete with bright paint and whimsical, asymmetrical windows. It is the ultimate repository for his huge collection of Western memorabilia. Wild Bill Koch Builds a Private Town Out West | Builder Magazine Bill Koch could create a real Western heritage for Denver and the Stock Both Zhan and Martensen took Kochs private plane back to California. Billionaires need to either plot schemes for world domination or else build replica towns at vast expense. Koch tells a different version of the events. Bill Koch Building Private Cowboy Town 'For His Huge Collection Of He was recalcitrant and undisciplined. Suite 675 Although his primary residence is in Palm Beach, Florida, where Oxbow is headquartered, one of Kochs many passions is Western history. I dont understand why there is so much antagonism and anger toward me from people in Paonia who have never met me, especially since weve been trying to make a lot of contributions to the community, Koch says. Is this a good thing for the American people, or is it not a good thing? Everything from the ceilings to the accoutrements are period-specific. The streets widths are historically accuratewide enough so that a four-to-six-horse cart can turn aroundand are bordered by sidewalks at the perfect height for a rancher to load his cart. It's an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. Thats absolutely false, says Brad Goldstein, Oxbows spokesperson. Anyone who knows Bill knows that he will chase down someone who has wronged him to the end of the earth. Reader support helps sustain our work. Billionaire Koch building private Old West town | AspenTimes.com To find interior design nirvana, experts always follow these eight underlying principles. But they, and their two brothers, Bill and Frederick,. When his father was around, he would stick up for young Bill, something that affected him deeply. Bill Koch, brother to Koch Industries' Charles and David Koch, lives in Florida, where his global energy company, Oxbow Carbon LLC, is headquartered. It is simply for Koch's amusement and for that of his family and friends and historians. But dont expect to move here or even to visit. Hed been shot. There will be family dinners, parties, and corporate retreats. 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. Its the kind of stuff I guess you would expect a billionaire to construct. Reed said they took into account that a third of the Koch mansion will be underground and it will be blocked by a hillside. Each brother now has a framed copy of the letter, which Koch has read often over the years. 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. Bill Koch won the final suit against his brothers. Soon, it will have a mansion on a hill so the town's founder can look down on his creation. You want to see the brothel? Koch asked. Instagram, Follow us on It all gets back to trying to create a place where I can enjoy life and enjoy my family and friends without having to worry about my enemies. Forbes estimates his net worth at close to $4billion. The controversial swap would give the government properties near Blue Mesa and in Dinosaur National Park in exchange for a public swath that cuts through his ranch. (An oxbow is where a river changes course, Koch explains.) My father couldnt buy me honors at Culver. In fact, it's . Its an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. I plan on enjoying it and discreetly sharing it. Billionaire Bill Koch is building an entire Wild West town (pictured above) on his 6,400-acre Bear Ranch in Gunnison County, Colo., the Denver Post reported. David now says hes the handsome one and Im the smart one. On whatcrazy-ass thing is he spending his billions today? 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. There are streets made for carriages and several old-fashioned saloons, but the town is actually new. Facebook, Follow us on Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. Billionaire Bill Koch's new Colorado town is a private Old West marvel The credit card-sized tintype photo was taken outside a saloon in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, when Billy the Kid, born William Henry McCarty and later known as outlaw William Bonney, was barely out of his teens. A psychologist recommended the brothers be separated. When he arrived, Koch was six feet one inch tall and weighed 120 pounds, and his peers teased him unmercifully for his gawky appearance. 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His billionaire brothers, David and Charles Koch, are best known for making for big contributions to conservative causes. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. That's the question a group of NWSS officials, business types and city . He ties his horse up to the rail and thanks our wrangler for the ride. Elk Creek was the only mine willing to try it. The town: Bill Koch's Wild West is being built on his 420-acre ranch located in the Raggeds Wilderness in Gunnison County, Colorado, Under construction: Crews are working to make Koch's private old West town on his sprawling Colorado ranch a reality. Whether he was discussing his own childhood or calling me en route to a sons basketball game, family was the prevailing theme of our conversations. Last year, Koch paid a whopping $2.3million for a small photograph of legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid. One of the lesser-known Koch brothers, he developed a private 19th-century . And while Koch may be the sheriff of this no-horse town, he wont even live there, as the Gunnison County Planning Commission recently approved a 21,000-square-foot home for Koch that looks down at the buildings. Instagram, Follow us on On the Western Slope, near Paonia, is a town straight out of the Wild West. He also revealed that his wife told him he should go on the television show Hoarders. Its a show about people obsessed with amassing things. After all, the West has always loved its villains. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. 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. Hes dogged in his pursuit.. It has sculptures and paintings, but also artifacts, historic photos, and material objects drawn from daily life in the West. 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). To build the town, Koch purchased Buckskin Joe, a former Colorado tourist attraction, uprooted it, and carted to his ranch. A locked gate with guards screens who comes and goes. 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. This sort of thing is why progressive taxation is important. Fried, whos worked for Oxbow for about 14 years, is mystified by Martensens alleged offenses. Koch has five biological children and one stepson, who range in age from six to 26, by four women (three wives and a girlfriend). I got better grades at MIT than he did, Bill Koch told me. The next day, as we headed toward higher elevation on our horses, Kochs ranch unfurled below us, with views of the town and thousands of acres of grazing land for his 1,100 head of cattle. But it took me a while to adapt and accept that. Koch went on to earn three degrees at MIT, including a doctorate in chemical engineering in 1971. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. No matter what Koch does, he seems to kick up dust in his wake. Koch, known as "Wild Bill" to some of his friends, is the founder and president of the energy company Oxbow Group, which operates the Elk Creek Mine near Somerset. Kids come first, he says. Koch will have a lot of room to keep his collections in Colorado. Located 25 minutes from downtown Paonia by car, or 15 minutes by helicopter from Kochs Aspen abode, the 10-acre town features five saloons and a jail, firehouse, church, bank, theater, and library. The federal government and private entitiesski resorts, developments, individualsexecute land exchanges all the time (typically more than 300 a year) to consolidate properties, and some observers have been surprised at the uproar Kochs swap ignited. The land Koch is seeking provides the best existing access to 40 square miles of Forest Service and Wilderness land, he told me. Koch intends for the town to be a private getaway for his family and friends. 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. Twitter, Follow us on But is the town simply the project of an eccentric billionaire, or is there more to the story? The collection of properties may appear to be stereotypical billionaire preening, but Koch says he has different intentions. As we reached the last leg of our ride through his ranch, Koch pushed ahead alone. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Alex Murdaugh now faces life in jail after showing no emotion as he was found GUILTY of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul - jurors spent less than three hours deliberating, The King's revenge? If a guy wants to make billions of dollars digging up oil and selling it to people and lobbying so that we use more oil and gas and spend millions to shift political opinion and go out of his way to preserve a long-standing, highly detrimental way of life solely so that he can live a lifestyle that is so far beyond what a moral person would find acceptable that it basically makes the Curiosity rovers trip to Mars look like you headed to your bathroom, thats his right. Sign up today! Donate today to keep our climate news free. In May 2019, Jakes mother pleaded guilty to second-degree murder (she confessed to shooting him in the head while he slept) and received a 40-year sentence. Martensen then was kidnapped and kept captive in the vehicle during the trip to Denver. Martensen, his attorney, and another former Oxbow executive, Joe Lombardi, who was also at the ranch during the incident and was fired, all declined to comment for this story. Regardless of the land swaps status, Kochs immediate family will come to western Colorado to see the town this spring. The pastors smiled as they held the doors open, grabbing the hands of those who walked by and urging many to keep praying and to keep showing up. 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. It's an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. Its Kochs fantasy come to life, made possible by his staggering wealth. In school, Koch realized that he could carve a place for himself in the world by virtue of his own achievements. Bill Koch's 'Western Town' An Old West town re-created by billionaire William "Bill" Koch is seen near Paonia State Park in Colo., Aug. 22, 2012. Reed said they took into account that a third of the Koch mansion will be underground and it will be blocked by a hillside. Kansas-based Koch Industries restructures top management I was more interested in the most popular people on campus: the pretty girls, the athletes, David Koch told me last fall. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. Kelley McMillan writes frequently for the New York Times and Outside magazine. When the coup failed, Bill was fired, and in 1983, Bill and his eldest brother, Frederick, sold their shares of Koch Industries. The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site. I dont want much to be in it anymore. Coal and oil billionaire William Koch, brother of Tea Party backers Charles and David Koch, is bringing his vast Western art collection to the Smithsonian American Art Museum from March 28 to. Around 50 buildings, along with a water-treatment system, have been permitted by Gunnison County in the past two years. I now have a peaceful coexistence with Charles, Koch says. Space planning is key, and less really is often more. Below Deck Meds Bugsy Flaunts Best Mermaid Impression In Hot Pink Bikini, BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN's Christine Bugsy Drake (Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo), 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. Eventually, authentic ephemerabeaded garters with holsters for mini pistols, matchbook advertisements for call girls, and pictures of 19th-century prostituteswill adorn the rooms. It took me a long time to realize I have some talents and capabilities and if I just put them to work, I could create my own life and my own accomplishments independent of where Ive come from, he says. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. When I was living in Wichita, a lot of people looked upon me as a rich kid, Koch says. According to the suit, Martensen asked to be driven to Aspen to catch a flight home after being interrogated for hours at the ranch. Your IP: 172.105.83.36, Requested URL: www.architectmagazine.com/design/wild-bill-koch-builds-a-private-town-out-west_o, User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/103.0.0.0 Safari/537.36. This town is billionaire Bill Koch's fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. 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Design and build by Upstatement. Kochs natural gas activities in the area may also be muddying the waters of the debate. This town is billionaire Bill Koch's fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. Over the years the property value of the family ranch in Gunnison County increased (reportedly to $3 million). Not far from the 7-11 Ranch, billionaire Bill Koch (brother of Charles and the late David Koch AKA The Koch Brothers who are known for funding conservative causes) built a private replica of an Old West town on Bear Ranch, which is located in Paonia (also in Gunnison Co.). Hes obviously a driven guy, whether its business or sailboat racing or collecting wine or holding people accountable when theyve mistreated him. Spurs, clothing, wagons, cavalry uniforms, arrows, quivers, flagsyou name it. This project shows how Americans can use a wasted resource for the betterment of our communities. Conspiracy theories about him ripple through Paonia: One suggests that he (or his staff) flies his helicopter over his enemies homes, running surveillance or trying to scare his opposition. My husband and I are of the opinion that the American people will win. Reed said a third of the mansion will be underground and the building will be blocked by a hillside. The Koch Brother's 'Western Town' in Photos Photos - ABC News It appears to have all the fixings of any young boys amusement park, but the Denver Post reports that the town is for Koch alone, and will not be open to the public. To remedy the situation, and to offer their children the best possible education, his parents sent David and Bill away to different boarding schools; Bill went to Indianas Culver Military Academy. Koch will have a lot of room to keep his collections in Colorado. The controversial businessman is building an Old West town near Paonia thats a full-scale reproduction of a 19th-century settlement. The first night, Koch hosted the men for dinner at the ranch. Elk Mountain was formerly a high-end hunting lodge. Kids have great sibling rivalries, Koch says. Koch says he separated the six men to avoid any collusion between them. Will there be real girls here? I asked. But is the town simply the project of an eccentric billionaire, or is there more to the story? Bill Koch's 'Western Town' Picture | The Koch Brother's 'Western Town Wild Bill Koch Builds a Private Town Out West Rebecca Schoenkopf is the owner, publisher, and editrix of Wonkette. The comments below have not been moderated. Anyhoo, dude's got a lot of money, and sharing is for queers and French people, and which one are you? After his review, Martensen was driven to another part of the ranch, Crystal Meadows, to wait for the five other men who were being interviewed, three of whom lived in California like Martensen. It is the ultimate repository for his huge collection of Western memorabilia. One theory floating around Paonia posits the various BLM parcels included in the exchange, beyond the one that would unite Kochs ranch, are strategic locations that provide resources for drilling and hydraulic fracturing infrastructure. We climbed the stairs to the second story and toured the rooms wallpapered in Technicolor shades of teal, maroon, and pink. Koch has also all but legally adopted Rooney Kochs son, whom she had with actor Kevin Costner. 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. He has more Charles Russell paintings and Frederic Remington bronzes than most museums. Since the swap was proposed, Koch has added what he and his team consider to be several improvements to the original exchange bill. Fifty years old, whip thin, with dark brown hair and light green eyes, shes not your standard trophy wife: Shes a vegan and an avid skier and recreational kickboxer. He bought out the Buckskin Joe Western town near Caon City for $3.1 million in 2010. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Cloudflare is currently unable to resolve your requested domain. Koch's town boasts its own water-treatment system and approximately 50 buildings including a. So its been staggering to me to know that senior people in the company would steal from him, he told me at Oxbows corporate headquarters in Palm Beach.