May 22, 2013

Weather

Fair

53°
Feels Like: 49 °
Conditions at Grand Junction, CO
KKCO 11 News helps you KNOW MORE about the news that affects you. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Save Email Print Bookmark and Share
Posted: Mon 12:56 PM, Aug 20, 2012
A A
Reporter: Associated Press Email

Billionaire Koch building private Old West town

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (AP) -- Billionaire Bill Koch (kohk) is known for spending lavishly to buy Western artifacts. Now he's building his own Old West town in Colorado.

The Denver Post reported Monday the town is on Koch's 10-square-mile Bear Ranch near the Raggeds Wilderness Area roughly 125 miles southwest of Denver.

The town includes a saloon, jail, livery and train station. Koch's project manager has told Gunnison County officials the town was built for Koch, his family and friends and won't be open to the public.

Koch is president of the Florida-based Oxbow Group, which operates the Elk Creek coal mine in western Colorado. Forbes estimates his net worth at close to $4 billion.

His billionaire brothers, David and Charles Koch, make headlines for big contributions to conservative causes.

(COPYRIGHT 2011 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Next Story >

You must be logged in to post comments.

Username:
Password (case sensitive):
Remember Me:

Read Comments

KKCO firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKCO 11News.
  • by Ambrose Location: Overland Park, KS on Aug 23, 2012 at 08:47 AM
    Awesome. What a novel idea. Will bring the family if it's a place we can stay.
  • by Loser Location: G.J. on Aug 22, 2012 at 07:48 AM
    All of you who are complaining how this guy spends his money sound like morons! Who cares if he builds a old west town?! If I was a billionaire, I would build myself an amusement park and make you pay me money to bring your snotnosed kids to it! Dont be a hater! BILL KOCH 2016!
  • by missy on Aug 22, 2012 at 07:35 AM
    THIS IS OLD NEWS!!! Mr. Koch has be building this for over 3 yrs. He does employee hundreds of people, around the world, besides college kids on summer break in Delta county. He hires the kids back year after year if they stay full time students and pays them more than I make at my job and I do well. His money.. and we have no rights to judge him for what he has or hasn't done with it.
  • by Anonymous on Aug 22, 2012 at 06:57 AM
    How would you liberal leaners like to have someone telling you how to spend your money? OH WAIT I forgot that is exactly what you want.
  • by Jovonna Location: Kansas City Missouri on Aug 21, 2012 at 08:36 PM
    Why don't Billionaiere's help victims of random crimes who's limtaions run out to have surgeries for the impact of the random violent crime that we live with everyday and Dr's are to greedy to do it out of kindness, seems that happens alot with people that have money. They don't think of other's and that will come back and haunt them one day when they meet the man upstairs and he ask them, what have you done to help the needy in your lifetime and the poor? What do you suppose his answer will be? I bought an old town in the west, and who did that help? Me, because I'm a Billionaire and I can but what ever I want.
    • reply
      by Luke on Aug 22, 2012 at 07:30 AM in reply to Jovonna
      IF, you would do a little FACT finding, you would FIND that the Marillac Clinic is one of the many places where the rich people contribute money on a regular basis. Liberals tend to believe in the robbing hood story, take from the rich and give to the poor, there would be far more work in this world if those who believe that someone else owes them simply because they have it. But those who think on those terms are supportive of politicians who promise them more of the rich mans money IF, they will simply vote for them. Those who live on welfare live better, these days, than those who make a living for themselves, all they have to do is, VOTE, and the welfare checks keep coming. Those who work for a living, like standing on their own two feet and making their own way the best they can. They don't depend on "robbing hood", because "robbing hood" is still a thief, and he is stealing the future of our nation, and selling it out to the One World Order of theives, and making those who work, pay for it. It's time to put "robbing hood" out of work.
  • by Julius Location: New York on Aug 21, 2012 at 05:53 PM
    JuLaw Consultant Services / Investors..."Master of the Internet" FREE E-Book for Y.O.U. (Your Own Uniqueness) http://www.ebookdivision.com/recession/juliuslawrencejr
  • by Nun on Aug 21, 2012 at 02:35 PM
    Liberals complain that trillions are held by the rich and corporations. Yet when one of them invests a bit of it the liberals complain about that. I'm convinced the liberals are just a bunch of whiney b! *hes.
  • by Hmmm on Aug 21, 2012 at 05:30 AM
    Another republican donor embroiled in his own alternative reality. At least he's not making uninformed rape comments or skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee for "religious reasons".
    • reply
      by Nun on Aug 21, 2012 at 02:31 PM in reply to Hmmm
      No he is creating jobs.
  • by Luke Location: GJ on Aug 20, 2012 at 08:24 PM
    Only a liberal politician would think and try to make other liberals think this guy owed them a lovin and a livin simply because he spent his "own" money on something he enjoyed, instead of spending it on programs that benefitted people who didn't know how to work. He made the money himself, he should be able to spend it the way he wants to spend it. He's putting people to work, thats what wealthy people do when they don't have a politician breathin down their necks drooling for any way they can take their money away from them. The majority of the liberal politicians simply don't know how to create jobs, just taxes.
    • reply
      by Nun on Aug 21, 2012 at 02:31 PM in reply to Luke
      Well said.
  • by Szabla on Aug 20, 2012 at 02:23 PM
    His money, I can care less what he spends it on. I am sure his money employed quite a few. Someone we should all aspire to emulate his business sense.
    • reply
      by Truth on Aug 21, 2012 at 06:51 AM in reply to Szabla
      Yes, he's employed quite a few people along the way, but a guy who sues his own brothers and then his own mother is not someone I would ever emulate. And, he didn't earn it, he thought he deserved more which is why his brothers pushed him out. Guess when you inherit wealth from a daddy who made it off of Stalinist Russia you can do whatever you want. I could care less how many people he employs. He didn't do anything to earn the money he used to create Oxbow. What you people don't know is he's not just stopping with his 'town', he's trying to push through a federal land swap where he gets beautiful, rich mountain land and he gives us (the government) a piece of desert land in Utah. Yeah, all it takes is an act of congress, do you think his money can buy him that too?
      • reply
        by Szabla on Aug 21, 2012 at 07:13 AM in reply to Truth
        More power to him if he can. Sounds like jealousy on your part.
        • reply
          by Truth on Aug 21, 2012 at 08:03 AM in reply to Szabla
          Nope...that would be the person who thought they deserved more and sued his own brothers and mother. Sounds to me like you're just ignorant and stupid because you didn't even address one fact I raised to prove he didn't 'earn it' like so many of you just assume. Don't all you conservatives hate communism, fascism and totalitarianism? If so, how can you ignore the life this guy has lived to achieve the success he has? And, money doesn't make you happy, I think that's something we can all assume after knowing he sued his own family.
        • reply
          by Truth on Aug 21, 2012 at 08:07 AM in reply to Szabla
          And...furthermore, that mountain land is filled with some of the highest grade natural gas in this country; bet that has nothing to do with why he wants it...FOR FREE. So he can turn around and rape us for it after he steals it from us. Yeah, jealousy, or just plain commen sense. Something you clearly don't have.
      • reply
        by giveitarestlib on Aug 21, 2012 at 09:58 AM in reply to Truth
        He may or may not have earned it himself. But neither did you, it is not your money. He did not take it from you. The fact that his family inherited money from daddy is none of your business. His family members are the only ones who may or may not have a right to complain about the way he spends his money. By the way, do you happen to get a surplus on your tax refund, due to the earned income credit? If so I do not like the way you and others spend my money.
  • Page:

KKCO News Videos

Trending Videos

(more upcoming events)