rkba2nd wrote on Jun 4
th, 2025 at 3:29pm:
Like a lot of these questions, we may never have all the answers. Such as, did Pope lose all his equipment, some, or simply a safe place to work? Although, in retrospect, moving to LA would not be the best choice to avoid a repeat. Possibly others with more interest and knowledge of all things Pope do have some of the answers. I thought that I had read much of Pope's long life, but obviously, not all. To be honest I found George Schoyen to be of more interest to me, in part, from having worked in the immediate vicinity of his shop in lower downtown Denver, and a good friend sharing some of his his immense knowledge and collection of all things Schoyen with me. Unfortunately I have misplaced some of that in the, getting denser, fog of time.
It's been well covered that the building Pope setup his shop in was toppled over by the earthquake, and the only thing he salvaged from the mangled mass of what was his tools were his muzzle clamp for his machine rest and a pocket micrometer.
Ray Smith mentioned he relocated to Los Angeles, but said he couldn't make a go of it there and the only good thing he made while in Los Angeles was his Universal Mold design.
He was in Los Angeles for nine months and I've often wondered how he made a living that long with no tools? Smith doesn't mention him working for anyone else there, but says he worked for John Sidle the famous scope maker for a year until Sidle retired and closed the shop. Then friends paid Pope's way back to New Jersey and he spent the rest of his life in the Colgate Bldg. in Jersey City. Supposedly rent free for 40 years, although other dispute the rent free statement Smith reported in his book.
I agree with you on George Schoyen! A far more well rounded gun maker, whose barrels were equal to Pope's, but Schoyen could do a lot more than just excellent barrels. And with Peterson at his side during the Gove years, and later when Schoyen bought the Gove shop and they continued their relationship the two men put out some of the finest single shot rifles made. I own six Schoyen Ballard rifles, and would sell all my other single shots and collect only Schoyen rifles if I could work it out in a fair trade. I consider him one of the finest of the old masters.
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