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Billionaire Bill Koch constructs his very own TOWN inspired by cowboy era
A Western town straight out of Bonanza has sprung up in Colorado, and while it’s too late for Billy the Kid to move in, it’s just right for Bill the Billionaire.
It’s 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.
The town is being built on Koch’s 420-acre ranch located in the Raggeds Wilderness in Gunnison County, Colorado.
The unpopulated town has about 50 full-size buildings, including a saloon, jail, livery and train station.
It appears to have all the fixings of any young boy’s amusement park, but the Denver Post reports that the town is for Koch alone, and will not be open to the public.
And while Koch may be the sheriff of this no-horse town, he won’t even live there, as the Gunnison County Planning Commission recently OK’d a 21,000-square-foot home for Koch that looks down at the buildings.
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. It’s like something out of a ‘Gunsmoke’ movie set.’
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.
Reed said a third of the mansion will be underground and the building will be blocked by a hillside.
Koch’s designer and project manager agreed to tone down lighting so it won’t shine into the Raggeds Wilderness.
To build the town, Koch purchased Buckskin Joe, a former Colorado tourist attraction, uprooted it, and carted to his ranch.
Koch, who won the America’s Cup yachting race in 1992 and is known as ‘Wild Bill’ among his friends, dished out $3.1million for Buckskin Joe in 2010.
It’s wasn’t the first time Koch has laid down cold hard cash for some Wild West swag, and it wasn’t the last.
Priceless: Last year, Koch paid a whopping $2.3million for a small photograph of legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid
Priceless: Last year, Koch paid a whopping $2.3million for a small photograph of legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid
Last year, Koch paid a whopping $2.3million for a small photograph of legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid.
After purchasing the photo last year, Koch told the Denver Post: ‘I love the Old West. I plan on enjoying it and discreetly sharing it. I think I’ll display it in a few small museums.’
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.
Experts estimate it was taken around 1879. But 133 years later, it endures as the most recognisable photo of the American West.
Koch is president of the Oxbow Group, based in Palm Beach, Florida, which operates the Elk Creek coal mine in western Colorado. Forbes estimates his net worth at close to $4billion.
His billionaire brothers, David and Charles Koch, are best known for making for big contributions to conservative causes.
In February, the brothers famously announced that they were putting up $100million to boot President Obama out of the White House.
But Bill Koch is not staying out of the political fray either, donating a total of $2million this year to pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future.
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2012-08-21 21:11:47
