Associated Press. He subsequently agreed to sell the land to Cody Docheff to build a concrete batch plant, Mountain Park Concrete, for $250,000. As Marvin Heemeyer attempted to bulldoze Gambles hardware store, he accidentally got the killdozer stuck in the foundation. Its in Gods hands. Heemeyer then headed for town. Heemeyer, behind the controls of his steel-and-concrete reinforced killdozer, began his attack on the town and his enemies at about 3 p.m., bursting through a wall of the secret shop where he constructed his monstrosity. Say, you got a nice blog article.Really looking forward to read more. By the time he was finished, he had demolished 13 buildings, including the town hall and the library within it, the police station, the home of the ex-mayor, a bank, numerous vehicles, the newspaper where Brower worked and the local hardware store. His cockpit fully encloed, he wired an ingenious network of cameras so he could see outside via a pair of old televisions. He spoke of himself as worthless and unwanted. [1] Gods will be done through me.. During the rampage, law enforcement tried to stop Heemeyer and his dozer with volleys of gunfire. But as any small-business owner in any small town anywhere in America will tell you, the red tape can be a bear. 10 Widely Believed U.S. Government Conspiracy Theories. With him, he brought two handguns. The plan involved dispersing individual pieces to many separate scrap yards to prevent souvenir-taking.[17]. Tread: Directed by Paul Solet. It is my duty. He opines that God made him stay single and be successful so that he wouldnt have family to worry about and hed have the finances to carry out his task. Some believe this negotiation happened before the rezoning proposal was heard by the town council.[5]. Again, thankfully, he was unsuccessful in this endeavor. Sky-Hi News. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. The tapes are about two and a half hours in length.[15]. Brower was in the newspaper offices that afternoon when Heemeyer came by, sending the walls tumbling and Brower running into the street. On the other hand, some have pointed out that he initially agreed to sell his land and more crucially, that he could have easily killed innocent people during his attack if they hadnt gotten out of the way in time. To prevent Granby from becoming a Mecca to these groups, the Killdozer was cut up and its parts scattered at several different scrap yards. Others offered different views. It is my duty. I knew, right away, I said, 'I'm on the wrong side of this story,'" says Brower, who had been covering Heemeyer's interactions with the town government for years and had met with him to hear out his beef against the paper. He drove the machine out of his shop through the wall, then plowed through the concrete plant, the town hall, a newspaper office, a former judges widows home, a hardware store, and other homes. Heemeyer was furious, as hed used the land for the past nine years as a shortcut between his home and his shop. At 6 feet tall and about 230 pounds, Marvin Heemeyer was, in many ways, ill-suited for the role of David. [2] Further attempts to mount the bulldozer were hampered due to oil that Heemeyer had spread on the vehicle to hinder such attempts. The bulldozer's engine failed and Heemeyer dropped one tread into the basement and couldn't get out. Equipped with a 410hp engine, Heemeyer, sometimes moving as fast as 7mph, smashed over and over into the concrete plant. Despite the nearly $7 million in property damage done to the town of Granby, not a single human besides Heemeyer was killed during the rampage. Marvin Heemeyer's 'killdozer' rampage in Colorado made headline news. The sheriff's department argued the fact that no one was injured was not due to good intent as much as to good luck. Heemeyer rammed the 20-cubic-yard blade of his "MK Tank" into several town buildings, including the municipal center. Heemeyer had been feuding with Granby officials, particularly over fines for violating city ordinances and a zoning dispute regarding a concrete factory constructed opposite to his muffler shop that had caused his business to fail. Damn Interesting. Others offered different views. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Heemeyer had no intention of leaving the cabin once he entered; the hatch was permanently sealed. Poppen, Julie. This was quickly deemed unnecessary when Heemeyer became trapped in the basement of a Gambles hardware store. [20] Notes found by investigators after the incident indicated that the primary motivation for the bulldozer rampage was his plan to stop the concrete plant from being built near his shop. During the 1990s, Heemeyer owned a small welding shop in town, where he made his living repairing mufflers. 16 September 2021. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. Marvin_Heemeyer (Originally published June 10, 2004 in the Sky-Hi News) As the initial shock subsides, and debris and dust settles in Granby, residents of Grand Lake reflect on the man with whom they shared a town. The only thing that Marvin Heemeyer was a victim of was his own greed and vengeful bitterness. There were calls for the Killdozer to be set up as a tourist attraction (they were dismissed) and in various libertarian and right-wing circles, June 4th is known as Killdozer Day. This made the machine impervious to small arms fire and resistant to explosives. [5] There might have been casualties if local emergency response hadn't worked so effectively. Again an agreement was met, but he changed his terms again, asking for $1 million. Granby slapped him with $2500 in fines. "Man Who Bulldozed Granby Says He Got Idea from God." [5], In 2001, Granby's zoning commission and trustees approved the construction of the concrete plant. This was a part-time project over a 1 year time period." 29 July 2009. [2], One officer dropped a flash-bang grenade down the bulldozer's exhaust pipe, with no immediate apparent effect. In places, the vehicle's armor was over one foot thick, consisting of concrete sandwiched between sheets of steel to make ad-hoc composite armor. Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 June 4, 2004) was a welder and an automobile muffler repair shop owner most known for his rampage with a modified bulldozer. Wikimedia CommonsA rare photo of Marvin Heemeyer, the man who built the infamous killdozer. Another item that stood out to me in Heemeyers taped manifesto was dozens of references to his money. Others gathered in the streets to watch the odd spectacle. These people want to embrace this, 'Attacking government with firearms in a tank,' and make it sound like a good thing. An anonymous friend of his stated that, If Marv was your friend, he was your best friend, but if he decided that he was your enemy, then he was your worst and most dangerous enemy.2 His rampage demonstrated this observation: one of his targets was the newspaper office, destroyed for merely printing opinions different than his on everything from legalized gambling to zoning. Turns out the very same heavy equipment operator who had been defeated by Heemeyer back at the concrete plant, ended up being instrumental in stopping the rampage. Heemeyer had feuded with Granby town officials, particularly over fines for . At one point during the rampage, Undersheriff Glenn Trainor managed to climb atop the bulldozer and rode the bulldozer "like a bronc-buster, trying to figure out a way to get a bullet inside the dragon". These notes indicated that he held grudges over the zoning approval. Or maybe Im just going to put you down. And for those who know who Heemeyer is, that divide is pretty polarizing. On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer used the bulldozer to demolish the Granby town hall, the house of a former mayor, and several other buildings. "Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things."[8]. Nobody was killed during the rampage. [citation needed], Two problems arose as Heemeyer destroyed the Gambles hardware store. Gambles had been a hardware store with five employees. A tank, complete with thick steel-plated walls to ward off attackers and a couple of guns to inflict some harm. Marvin Heemeyer was born on October 28, 1951 in South Dakota and lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, about 16 miles (26 km . [2] According to a neighbor, Heemeyer moved to town over 10 years prior to the incident. Heemeyer was 52 years old. However, some of Heemeyer's other victims are harder to justify. [1], Heemeyer lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, about 16 miles (26km) away from Granby. Over a period of 90 minutes, police watched helplessly as Heemeyer proved unstoppable. A ton of videos of that day, too, are available online, many of them containing archival news footage of the rampage. Writing a blog post like this means hours of research and website formatting. On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer drove his armored bulldozer through the wall of his former business, the concrete plant, the town hall, the office of the local newspaper that editorialized against him, the home of a former mayor (in which the mayor's widow then resided), and a hardware store owned by another man Heemeyer named in a lawsuit, as well as a few others. He was born in 1951 in South Dakota. According to the police, it included the buildings he destroyed, the local Catholic church (which he did not damage), and the names of various people who had sided against him in past disputes. No one, that is, except Heemeyer, who took his own life not long after his not-quite-lethal weapon bogged down in the middle of razing Gambles hardware store. "How many people lose petty zoning fights with government in America? Thanks. The last recording was made on May 22, thirteen days before the rampage. Outraged over the outcome of a zoning dispute, he armored a Komatsu D355A bulldozer with layers of steel and concrete and used it on June 4, 2004, to demolish the town hall, the former mayor's house, and other buildings in Granby, Colorado. Not realizing Heemeyers rage and determination, one of the concrete plants heavy equipment operators tried to block the road to Heemeyers escape. Ive taken all I can take. Thats not an excuse to go out and tear the town to pieces and shoot at people.. His muffler shop was cut off from the rest of town, his business curtailed. First, he flattened a couple buildings at a close-by concrete batch plant that he had complained about to the town council. Ken Heemeyer said his brother "would bend over backwards for anyone". Thats how God built me. [1] Compressed-air nozzles were fitted to blow dust away from the video cameras.[1]. 5 June 2004. [10][11] According to Grand County commissioner James Newberry, emergency dispatchers used the reverse 911 emergency system to notify many residents and property owners of the rampage going on in the town. He was surprised that several men, who had visited the shed late the previous year, had not noticed the modified bulldozer "especially with the 2,000-pound [910kg] lift fully exposed somehow their vision was clouded".[8]. Inside The Eerie 'Lead Masks Case' That's Gone Unsolved For More Than 50 Years, Scientists Observe Chimps Treating Their Wounds With Bugs In Historic First, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post/Getty Images. Marvin Heemeyer after he moved to Colorado. said Susie Docheff in an interview with the Sky-Hi News. Others could easily have died, though. Much of Heemeyers rampage was televised nationally (LINK), and he was almost immediately hailed as patriot and hero by far-right anti-government groups. Volume 90%. The government should fear their people, the people should not fear their government. A destroyed truck was stuck inside the Mountain Parks Electric building after Marvin Heemeyers rampage. He sued, and sued again. Authorities examine the killdozer driven by Marvin Heemeyer through Granby, Colorado. Really looking forward to gaining access to more. Heemeyerspent more than a year building his "killdozer" and planning his attack on the town of Granby, an act he felt was in accordance with God's will: "God blessed me in advance for the task that I am about to undertake. For anyone who has read much of my blog, you can perhaps guess where I fall decidedly in the second camp of Heemeyer being a deranged, vengeful terrorist. He believed that the conspiracy against him would continue after his death that even once everything came out the media embark on a coverup to make him look crazy and evil. While many people described Heemeyer as a likable person, others told a different story. When Marvin John Heemeyer was born on 28 October 1951, in Castlewood, Hamlin, South Dakota, United States, his father, John Harm Heemeyer, was 27 and his mother, Augusta Mulder, was 30. Heemeyer appealed the decisions unsuccessfully. Attempts to disable the bulldozer's cameras with gunfire failed as the bullets were unable to penetrate the 3-inch (7.6cm) bulletproof plastic. Best Regards! Muchos Gracias for your article.Really thank you! Everything about Marvin John Heemeyers first forty years of life was what youd call ordinary. According to The Online Tank Museum, Heemeyer's contraption was based on a 49-ton (44.4-metric ton) Komatsu D355A bulldozer that, once he was finished with it, weighed 61 tons (55.3 metric tons). Heemeyer subsequently leased a shed on his former property back from the new owner, drove his bulldozer through the door and parked it inside. Marvin Heemeyer had a vendetta against the small town of Granby Colorado and its government officials. Which, for more than one witness to this bizarre chapter in modern American history, is simply wrong. And when the brother naturally refused, Heemeyer threatened that one day he would collect on this made-up debt. Investigators searched the garage where they believed that Heemeyer built the vehicle and found cement and armor steel. The Denver Channel. [5], Later, Heemeyer fired on two state patrol officers before they had fired at him. In the case of the local newspaper, the Sky Hi News, the editor who had always run his letters of complaint ran out the back door as Heemeyers bulldozer crashed through the front. Then, he set out more randomly to avenge the wrongs he had perceived. By Tape 3, Heemeyer is in full-blown rage as he continues to rant about his grievances and need for revenge. Heemeyer had installed two rifles in firing ports on the inside of the bulldozer,[14] and fired 15 bullets from his rifle at power transformers and propane tanks. The sheriff's department argues that the fact that no one was injured was not due to good intent as much as it must have been due to luck. [2][5], One officer dropped a flash-bang grenade down the bulldozer's exhaust pipe, with no apparent effect. "I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable", Heemeyer wrote. It's a cross that I am going to carry and I'm carrying it in God's name. It took until six o'clock the next morning for workers to make an opening; inside, they found Heemeyer's body, dead of a single gunshot to the head. "The Strange Story of 'Killdozer' and the Man Behind It" The truth is his actions, even if blurred into the category of some kind of righteous civil disobedience, were hardly heroic to a lot of people in Granby. Boy I think theres something you should learn here:For as good as a man can be, also can he be as bad. About a minute later, one of the SWAT team members who had swarmed around the machine reported hearing a single gunshot from inside the sealed cab. A few years earlier, he had purchased a bulldozer with the intention of using it to create an alternative route to his muffler shop. The bulldozer's engine failed, and Heemeyer dropped a tread into the store's basement and could not get out. They sent the pieces to dozens of scrap yards to stop admirers of Heemeyer from snatching a piece, as it soon became clear that the killdozer was going to be a subject of fascination. The attack lasted for two hours and seven minutes, damaging 13 buildings, knocking out natural gas service to city hall and the concrete plant, damaging a truck, and destroying part of a utility service center. "It is the predominant narrative; that Marv was screwed by this small town board that was out to get him, that the local community was out to get him," says Patrick Brower, the author of a book on Heemeyer and his tank. "It's really a mix between that and just a service town," with a couple of banks, a concrete plant, an electrical co-op and many businesses that cater to the tourism industry. Related. lift fully exposed". Maybe Heemeyer wasnt specifically out to kill anyone, though he seemed ready and willing to kill if it became necessary. "'Something snapped': Suspect called emotional, angry over rezoning fight". Marvin Heemeyer Born: 1952 Birthplace: Castlewood, SD Died: 4-Jun - 2004 Location of death: Granby, CO Cause of death: Suicide Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Criminal Nationality: United States Executive summary: Killdozer pilot Military service: USAF (1969) The bulldozer became stuck. Heemeyer had purchased the Komatsu D335A bulldozer with the intention of clearing a path to connect his store to the main road, but city council members rejected his proposal. [16], On April 19, 2005, the town announced plans to scrap Heemeyer's bulldozer. "[16], Heemeyer's actions were apparently a political statement. The killdozer itself was cut into pieces and scrapped. Due to the steep price-hike, Mountain Park Concrete back out of the deal. But the idea, somehow, that Granby was sophisticated enough to launch this campaign to go get Marv really defies my imagination.". The agreed price was $250,000 but according to Susan Docheff, Heemeyer changed his mind and increased the price to $375,000 and later demanded a deal worth approximately $1 million. Though authorities tried to destroy the vehicle multiple times, the killdozer proved resistant to small arms fire and resistant to explosives. In addition to the properties, Heemeyer also listed several names, including the mayor and several local business owners. Until his unexpected and fortunate end, Heemeyer seemed hell-bent on destroying the entire town. This is most assuredly how law enforcement and the great majority of Granby, CO residents saw him. It was equipped with three semi-automatic rifles, and Heemeyer carried two sidearms, including a .357 Magnum that he used to commit suicide. The tapes contained two separate recordings on each side for a total of six recordings. Granby has been rebuilt, including a new town hall. Really Great. [citation needed], On April 19, 2005, it was announced that Heemeyer's bulldozer was being taken apart for scrap metal. C4 explosives did nothing. As I said in the opening line, depending on who you ask, Marvin Heemeyer is either a folk hero and patriot or hes a deranged lunatic and domestic terrorist. 1 September 2004. I endured the roughly 2 1/2 hours of his recorded ramblings. Finally, after more than a decade of bad blood between Heemeyer and the town and some of his fellow business owners, he sold his property (for about 10 times what he bought it for) and did what he felt he had to do. For two hours and seven minutes, Marvin Heemeyer and his killdozer pummeled through the town, damaging 13 buildings and knocking out gas services to city hall. They agreed, but then he wanted $375,000 and at some later point wanted a deal worth approximately $1 million. That included 12 police officers and residents of a senior citizens complex. "People get focused on this, that Marv was victimized by the town. Marvin Heemeyer built a tank and destroyed thirteen buildings (including a library which was occupied by children moments before the walls came down, and the home of an 82-year-old widow) simply because he lost a zoning dispute. Im going to get ahead. Nothing worked. He endangered the lives of the police officers, destroyed several emergency vehicles, and could have killed several innocent civilians if it wasn't for the actions of law enforcement who managed to evacuate buildings before they were destroyed. [5] The sheriff's department also noted that eleven of the thirteen buildings Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until moments before their destruction. [1], For visibility, the bulldozer was fitted with several video cameras linked to two monitors mounted on the vehicle's dashboard. About a minute later, one of the SWAT team members, who had swarmed around the machine, reported hearing a single gunshot from inside the sealed cab. He fired many bullets from his semi-automatic rifle at Cody Docheff when Docheff tried to stop the assault on his concrete batch plant by using a front-end loader. While some described him as cheerful, polite, and a wonderful man, others had a much different opinion of Heemeyer remembering him as argumentative, antagonistic, and combative. About 1991 or 92, he moved near Granby, Colorado where he purchased two acres of land for $42,000. Though he caused millions in damage, Heemeyers fans point out that the only person who died that day was Marvin Heemeyer. In Denver, Marv found work as a mechanic in Scotty's Mufflers, a chain of car repair shops in the Denver area. "The idea somehow that Marv didn't want to hurt anybody is absolutely absurd," Brower says. Heemeyer was surprised that several men who had visited the shed late the previous year did not discover the modified bulldozer, "especially with the 2,000 lb. Marvin Heemeyer was born on October 28, 1951, in South Dakota and lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, about 16 miles (26km) away from Granby. Heemeyer leased his business to a trash company and sold the property several months prior to the rampage. A look inside the killdozer constructed by Marvin Heemeyer. [8], In addition to writings that he left on the wall of his shed, Heemeyer recorded a number of audio tapes explaining his motivation for the attack. In 1992, before the city rezoned the land to allow the construction of a concrete factory, Heemeyer was offered $250,000 for his land. Incredibly, no one else was injured in the rampage. The whole ugly Friday is recounted in Brower's book, "Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage," and it's the subject of a 2020 documentary, now available on Netflix, called "Tread." Instead, Marvin Heemeyer went home, outfitted his Komatsu D355A bulldozer with armored plates, a layer of concrete, and bulletproof plastic, and drove it through the town in a rampage, knocking down 13 buildings and causing $7 million worth of damage with his makeshift killdozer.. His friends stated that he had no relatives in the GranbyGrand Lake area. The first recording was made on April 13, 2004. Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 June 4, 2004) was an American automobile muffler repair shop owner who demolished numerous buildings with a modified bulldozer in Granby, Colorado, on June 4, 2004. I think he was largely delusional. And the only person you have to blame is yourself.". Not long after settling into his new property, Heemeyer was approached by Cody Docheff with an offer of $250,000 to buy his acreage as part of the future home of Mountain Park Concrete. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Heemeyer held grudges for years that were irreconcilable. As Heemeyer barreled down on him, the driver tried to run, but Heemeyer slammed into his grader, easily pushing him out of the way. Tourism is a draw in the area, though Granby is hardly the center of it. Marvin John Heemeyer was an American skilled welder and owner of an automobile muffler shop. He feels that the entire community is against him that they had a resentment towards outsiders. On June 4, 2004, frustrated over a failed zoning dispute, Heemeyer plowed his homemade armored bulldozer into the town hall, a former mayor's home and other buildings in small-town Granby, Colorado. The plan for the cement plant blocked that access. Take on what happen and why. Your email address will not be published. After a ten minute standoff, the killdozer went silent. Granby PD initiated a reverse 911 distress call warning residents of Heemeyers attack. Later, Heemeyer fired on two state troopers before they had fired at him. Father: (d. 31-Mar-2004)Brother: Ken HeemeyerBrother: Donald HeemeyerGirlfriend: (broken engagement), Road Rage Reckless Driving Shot: Self-Inflicted (4-Jun-2004) Risk Factors: Depression, Do you know something we don't? Indeed, in the years after the rampage, Heemeyer became a controversial folk hero in certain circles, with some believing that he was a victim of a town government that didnt think twice about hurting a local business. Hi there! Police, concerned for the safety of innocent folks, considered extreme military weapons to stop him. "God blessed me in advance for the task that I am about to undertake. Investigators searched the garage where they believe Heemeyer built the vehicle and found cement, armor and steel. Heemeyer unsuccessfully appealed the decision, claiming the construction blocked access to his shop. Reportedly, the only thing that did not sell was a very large bulldozer. Heemeyer used an armor-plated Komatsu D355A bulldozer to destroy 13 buildings in. He would frequently admit I dont even remember anymore. His own story was such a convoluted twisting of reality that even he couldnt keep it straight. Heemeyer was born in 1951 in South Dakota. Its unclear whether this complaint was true or not. My world just turned upside down, he told the Sky-Hi on the 10th anniversary. "[7], Heemeyer took about a year and a half to prepare for his rampage. These days, when the curious roll through the town, they look for wrecked buildings and bulldozer tracks, or some other sign of the tank, but only the stories remain. Caldwell, Alicia. He also fired upon power transformers and propane tanks trying to cause explosions. He then rolled into town, hitting homes and businesses that he reportedly felt wronged him during the zoning-and-concrete-factory fiasco. Marvin Heemeyer was a resident of Granby, Colorado, where he owned a muffler repair shop. According to the "folk hero" version of Killdozer Day, Heemeyer only attacked buildings, not people, owned by those who had done him wrong, and made an effort not to harm any of the town's general population or property. A patriot, even, in some people's eyes. The destruction he caused amounted to $7 million in damages. And I picked up on a number of important items. Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post via Getty Images, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, the author of a book on Heemeyer and his tank, on recordings that he made in the weeks before he embarked on his tankcapade, Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage. [9] Despite the great damage to property, no one besides Heemeyer (by a self-inflicted gunshot wound) was killed in the event. June 5, 2004. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 -- June 4, 2004) was an American skilled welder and owner of an automobile muffler shop. Also on his hit-list was a Catholic church as well as several named individuals. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Heemeyer has been called a petulant 5 year old throwing a tantrum and a maniac carrying out an act of terrorism. Webamp. It's up to you, however, to decide if he should be hailed as hero. Heemeyer also destroyed patrol cars, service trucks, and at least one pickup truck. The indisputable truth is that Heemeyer destroyed a lot of public and private property that day he caused a reported $7 million in damage and could have killed several people, whether he intended to or not. Cool. According to the police, it included the buildings he destroyed, the local Catholic Church (which he didn't damage), and the names of various people who had sided against him in past disputes.[17]. Heemeyer bought his two acres from the Resolution Trust Corp., the federal agency set up to handle the assets of failed savings and loan institutions. With no distance to gain speed to push the grader aside as before, Heemeyer was forced to plow ahead. [1] The coroner stated that Heemeyer used his .357-caliber handgun in the suicide. Heemeyer complained to the town council about neighboring businesses, lashed out at other land and business owners, and generally railed at anyone who he felt was trying to take advantage of him. 4 June 2014. And the only person you have to blame is yourself. He hoped future generations of Granby residents would be wiser and and more loving because of his attack. The Durango Telegraph "Dozer Rampage Roots Run Deep." Marvin Heemeyer built a tank. Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile, Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile. This negotiation happened before the rezoning proposal was heard by the town council. He took it as a sign from God that his bulldozer didnt sell. This was later detailed in a series of tape recordings made the following year. "It's just disturbing. With Marvin Heemeyer, Patrick Brower, Glenn Trainor Jr., Casey Farrell. [11], Heemeyer's rampage resulted in 13 buildings destroyed,[8] resulting in total damages estimated at more than $7 million. Then there was all the God stuff. Marvin Heemeyer did use a "killdozer" to exact revenge on the city of Granby, Colorado, after a concrete factory was allowed to be built across the street from his muffler shop: However, this text omits a few key details in order to paint Heemeyer as the "last great American folk hero.".