Billionaire Bill Koch loves the Old West so much that he decided to build his own private town somewhere within the wilds of Colorado. Koch's designer and project manager agreed to tone down lighting so it will not shine into the Raggeds Wilderness. The men were interviewed individually. But in a deposition filed in Florida last month, another Oxbow executive, Charlie Zhan, who was present during the episode at the ranch and was subsequently fired, said neither he nor Martensen were ever physically threatened, restrained, intimidated, or made to feel as if they couldnt leave. 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. That's Wild: Billionaire Bill Koch owns a private Wild West town in One of the lesser-known Koch brothers, he developed a private 19th-century . To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Reader support helps sustain our work. Your support keeps our unbiased, nonprofit news free. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Ever the shrewd politician, Hickenlooper is working quietly to broker a peace deal between the two on the land exchange. And I am now very best friends with my brother David. Koch initiated the reconciliation with his twin by inviting him to his birthday party in 2001, and David served as the best man in Kochs 2005 wedding to his third wife, Bridget Rooney Koch. Over the years, Oxbow has expanded its core businesses to include the mining and marketing of energy and commodities such as coal and natural gas, along with metallurgical and calcined coke, a key ingredient in the manufacturing of aluminum. 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. Its utterly bipartisan.. You all take care of each other., Koch was at the ranch that weekend to work out some details related to the Old West town hes building on his land. Jakes sister pleaded guilty to tampering with a dead body and received a 24-year sentence. There are streets made for carriages and several old-fashioned saloons, but the town is actually new. Denver, CO 80202. Smithsonian to Display Bill Koch's Vast Collection of Western Ephemera Altogether, Koch has spent, or committed, roughly $7 million to the exchange. It's an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. Its full-size buildings come with polished brass and carved-mahogany details and are fronted with board sidewalks and underpinned by a water-treatment system. Do you hear marbles rolling in your apartment? The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Koch describes his father, the son of a Dutch immigrant newspaper owner, as a very strong, ethical man and as a soft-spoken, John Waynetype. But his father was away from home often, building his oil refinery business. Their father was keenly aware of moneys inherent paradox. As a kid, Koch was tall, skinny, and awkward, and his brothers and other children teased him relentlessly. Its the second project of its kind in the United States. SEARCH. In November, Oxbow, along with Aspen Skiing Company, Vessels Coal Gas Inc., and Holy Cross Energy, unveiled a coal-methane conversion plant that will convert methane from Oxbows Elk Creek Mine (methane is a byproduct of coal mining and a leading greenhouse gas) into electricity; the power generated through this project is roughly equal to Aspen Skiing Companys energy usage. Kochs designer and project manager agreed to tone down lighting so it wont be shining into the Raggeds Wilderness. His. The collection of properties may appear to be stereotypical billionaire preening, but Koch says he has different intentions. In 2012, he donated more than half a million dollars to charities in the region. You can use it as a valuable tool for accomplishment or you can squander it foolishly. Kids come first, he says. Beginning at the age of 13, for five summers, Bill Koch worked on his fathers ranches. Kochs not yet sure what hell do, though hes not totally opposed to the governors terms. 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). It has about 50 buildings, including a saloon, a church, a jail, a firehouse, a livery and a train station. Shes also smart and very funny. Youre not invited. As we reached the last leg of our ride through his ranch, Koch pushed ahead alone. Remember that often adversity is a blessing in disguise and certainly the greatest character builder. Auden Schendler, the vice president of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, says his partner, Tom Vessels of Vessels Coal Gas, had been trying to execute the project for a decade. Rebecca Schoenkopf is the owner, publisher, and editrix of Wonkette. Be kind and generous to one another and to your mother. Text Billionaire brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch became known for their financial support of conservative and arts causes. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The Central Rockies Land Exchange, which has been approved by the Delta County and Gunnison County commissioners, must now go before the 113th Congress. Energy company founder Bill Koch went back in time, the billionaire built an entire town in the Old West. I now have a peaceful coexistence with Charles, Koch says. 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). Its full-size buildings come with polished brass and carved-mahogany details and are fronted with board sidewalks and underpinned by a water-treatment system. But 133 years later, it endures as the most recognisable photo of the American West. His twin, David, 19 minutes older, was handsome, sociable, and athletic and gravitated toward their brother Charles, who is five years older than the twins. But, removed from his brothers, Koch began to flourish. In school, Koch realized that he could carve a place for himself in the world by virtue of his own achievements. The Kansas native formed his own company after. The Denver Post reports the town, located in Kebler Pass, has a saloon, church, jail and train. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. 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Abortion clinics crossing state borders not always welcome The Post reported that Koch, who won the Americas Cup yachting race in 1992 and is known as 'Wild Bill' among his friends, dished out $3.1million for Buckskin Joe in 2010. After all, the West has always loved its villains. Billionaire Bill Koch's new Colorado town is a private Old West marvel His downhome, aw-shucks demeanor seemed at odds with the businessman who has been demonized as a wicked energy baron. Although this swath of BLM open space is dotted with aspens and offers views of three 12,000-foot peaks, BLM land traditionally is at the bottom of the public-land food chain. In September, Marston led a group of locals up the contested BLM strip. Her husband Dave Jackson received a 10-year sentence for his role in moving the body. YouTube. This town is billionaire Bill Kochs fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. 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. It is simply for Koch's amusement and for that of his family and friends and historians. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. The Ultimate Guide to Craft Brewing in Denver, The Best Ski Run at (Almost) Every Mountain in Colorado, Advertising and Sponsorship Opportunities. In 2001, after eight lawsuits, the brothers finally settled. Ray ID: 7a2d3ef63e34ca3b In fact, he has crammed part of a museum with his collections this year. 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.. Have fun, and send us lots of pictures. Koch also bought a 21-acre lot on Jumbo Mountain, a popular recreation area outside of Paonia, which he plans to convey to the BLM to provide permanent public access to Jumbo; currently, a landowner allows people to cross his property to get to the mountain. This is her first piece for 5280. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. The commission recently OK'd a 22,000-square-foot residence for Koch above the town that already has two buildings in excess of 11,000 square feet. Koch intends for the town to be a private getaway for his family and friends. I always wanted my mothers affection but could never get it, he says. Koch swings his leg over the top of his mount and hops off. It will be an extravaganza about the West, Betsy Broun, the Margaret and Terry Stent director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, says of the exhibition. When you take from the rich and give to the poor, you end up generating a lot of extra welfare as people who dont have very much can have their lives greatly improved at relatively low cost. The comments below have not been moderated. Hes dogged in his pursuit.. Koch also agreed to downsize a bit. He couldnt buy me a doctorate degree from MIT. Martensens lawsuit says he asked to leave but was held captive at the ranch. Koch wants to trade the federal government 911 acres of land he owns in Gunnison County, along with 80 acres in Utahs Dinosaur National Monument, for 1,846 acres of less valuable public land in and around Paonia. Billionaire Bill Koch's new Colorado town is a private Old West marvel Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. Martensen said no. Wild Bill Koch Builds a Private Town Out West - Architect In fact, we think the people in Paonia are actually going to be better off.. Theyre playing a legal maneuvering game because they want the case to be held in San Francisco, which would be considerably more liberal than the court in Florida, Koch says. . But dont expect to move here or even to visit. Kochs collection spans the 19th and early 20th centuries, and parts of it will be displayed at the Smithsonian next year. KEBLER PASSTheres a new town in Colorado. Recently, the mansion a home that will be the largest in Gunnison County made it through the planning process. Money and who was going to inherit the ranch was a source of tension between Jake and Deb, and Jakes sister Steph Jackson. But is the town simply the project of an eccentric billionaire, or is there more to the story? 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. I visited with Koch, who rarely grants interviews, on multiple occasions, across several states, at four of his homes, and I was the first (and only, to this date) journalist to visit his Old West town. Staff comes last. The schools five-person board of directors contains three Oxbow executives, including Koch. Koch Brothers' Brother Builds Old-Timey Western Town In - Wonkette He says his relocation to Asia was a part of a plan being implemented to evade paying taxes to the United States on profits in excess of $200,000,000 per year.. 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. Koch instructed his team to ask to inspect Martensens bags to ensure that he wasnt stealing any company property. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Will there be real girls here? I asked. The Denver Post reports the town, located in Kebler Pass, has a saloon, church, jail and train station among its 50 or so buildings spread out over 420 acres. Eventually, authentic ephemerabeaded garters with holsters for mini pistols, matchbook advertisements for call girls, and pictures of 19th-century prostituteswill adorn the rooms. Koch, 72, who made his fortune partly by developing underground coal deposits in Somerset, Colorado, is building the out-of-the-way oasis at his nearby Bear Ranch, a working cattle operation southwest of Aspen. This town is billionaire Bill Koch's fascination with the Old West rendered in bricks and mortar. Martensen also had a history of losing his temper, and Koch worried the men would become violent, so he hired an off-duty, unarmed local deputy for security purposes. But, more important, Marston believes the deal will rob Paonia of access to the Raggeds. Billionaire Bill Koch builds private Old West town in Colorado Ramon Reed, chairman of the planning commission, told the Post: 'It's the kind of stuff I guess you would expect a billionaire to construct. 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. The commission recently OKd a 22,000-square-foot residence for Koch above the town that already has two buildings in excess of 11,000 square feet. Its the kind of stuff I guess you would expect a billionaire to construct. The home is expected to come in at closer to 21,000 square feet in the final plans when one wing is removed. He also disapproved of using company money to fund Charles and Davids libertarian causes: In 1977, the Kochs donated money to launch the Libertarian Cato Institute, and David Koch ran for vice president on the 1980 Libertarian Party ticket. Marston claims the deal reeks of political cronyism: Since 2006, Koch and various Oxbow entities donated more than $40,000 to Salazar, and Koch hosted Salazar on his ranch for several elk-hunting outings. Although his primary residence is in Palm Beach, Florida, where Oxbow is headquartered, one of Kochs many passions is Western history. 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. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. 5280 Publishing, Inc. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. He bought out the Buckskin Joe Western town near Caon City for $3.1 million in 2010. I should regret very much to have you miss the glorious feeling of accomplishment and I know you are not going to let me down. In 1968, while studying for his doctorate in chemical engineering, Bill Koch started working for his fathers company; Charles had taken over the business a year earlier after Fred Koch died of a stroke. 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. Koch's project manager has told county officials that the enclave in the middle of the 6,400-acre Bear Ranch won't ever be open to the public. But Bill Koch, the other billionaire Koch brother, has a different plan for his money. Regardless of the land swaps status, Kochs immediate family will come to western Colorado to see the town this spring. It is the ultimate repository for his huge collection of Western memorabilia. Buckskin Joe's themepark [Wikipedia], This story is part of a group of stories called, The 8 most important principles of interior design. Forbes estimates his net worth at close to $4billion. It wasnt the first time Koch has laid down cold hard cash for some Wild West swag, and it was not the last. Hes been on the board of four different schools and says, You can spend more time debating the problem than solving it. Being on the board of the school is, Koch says, the equivalent of holding the stock in Oxbridge., In addition to the school and Bear Ranch, Koch has a 42-acre Cape Cod estate, comprised of the former Dupont and Mellon family properties; a 90-acre estate in Aspen made up of four neighboring properties; and his primary residence, a 35,000-square-foot house in Palm Beach, Florida. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. But dont expect to move here or even to visit. Through his various companieshe owns the Elk Creek coal mine in Somerset, about 15 minutes from his ranch; Gunnison Energy, a major player in natural gas development in the area; and Bear RanchKoch pays more than $38 million a year in employee salaries. 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. Soon, it will have a mansion on a hill so the town's founder can look down on his creation. We turned toward the barn, and the horses were skittish, sensing that we were heading home. A new school in Ho Chi Minh City looks like a building-sized playhouse, complete with bright paint and whimsical, asymmetrical windows. Around 50 buildings, along with a water-treatment system, have been permitted by Gunnison County in the past two years. Soon, it will have a mansion on a hill so the towns founder can look down on his creation. It sits on a 420-acre meadow on his Bear Ranch below the Raggeds Wilderness Area in Gunnison County. Dawn Ullrey, an avid horseback rider who has lived in Paonia for 53 years, and whose husband works for the Forest Service, was on the tour, as was Frank Mastrullo, who videotaped the outing. Bill Koch (businessman) - Wikipedia Here are some of the craziest things rich people do with their money: Part of HuffPost Business. You guys are weird, but there is a method to your madness: you want to buy Wisconsin, and the presidency, and so you do. 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? Its an unpopulated, faux Western town that might boggle the mind of anyone who ever had a playhouse. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. The Koch Brothers Are Sitting on a Real Estate Empire Worth - WSJ Koch will have a lot of room to keep his collections in Colorado. It's like something out of a 'Gunsmoke' movie set. And Kochs offered to build a mountain bike trail connecting Crested Butte to Carbondale. She died in jail in November 2019. But its difficult not to sense that, no matter how much he once wanted to win against his brothers, he is grateful to have his family back, thankful for the peace. Koch has five biological children and one stepson, who range in age from six to 26, by four women (three wives and a girlfriend). Billionaire Bill Koch Builds His Own Wild West Town on His - AOL On this day, however, it played out in a parking lot outside a modest government building in Bristol where officials . 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. The compound will also include a 21,762-square-foot mansion with an elevator, a wine room and his-and-hers .