Interesting! My grandfather, in the 1930s, had a machine shop on Lankershim Blvd., near Magnolia Blvd. His home was just a couple blocks east on Burbank from the Lankershim/Burbank intersection, near Elmer. Built in 1921, it is still there and is now The House of Plants. The building next door (now the Valley Martial Arts Center) was built by my grandfather in the 1950s and was leased to a furniture retailer named Jeff, who operated as Elmer's Furniture.
One day in about 1934, after Grandfather repaired a Model A in his shop, the owner came in to say he did not have the money to pay for the repair and offered to trade a revolver for the work. Grandfather agreed to the offer. That revolver (a Model of 1905 Target) is now in my collection. It letters to April, 1908, and is shown in the photo below. The stocks number to the gun.
When I was a kid, Dad and Grandfather used to take my brothers and me up to Big Bear every summer. That was one of the places we learned to shoot. I wonder if the place you were referring to was Fawnskin, near Grout Bay on the north shore of Big Bear Lake? We used to play on the old, retired firetruck that sat outside the Fawnskin Fire Department.
When my wife and I were married, we took our honeymoon in Big Bear. 17 days later I went to 'Nam.
When I came back to the World, I was stationed at George AFB, near Victorville. There was a back road up the mountain that dumped you out in the Holcolm Valley and you could get into Fawnskin from the north on a gravel road. We used to go up there and picnic and take some target practice.
When my father passed away two years ago, my brother and I were going though his stuff (Mom died a year earlier) and we found pictures of their honeymoon, in 1945. Turns out they had spent theirs in Big Bear as well. I don't think they ever told us that.
Long story and not much to do with guns, so I apologize if I've bored anyone.
That will be a hard one to replace.
