Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-14
SIXTY YEARS IN
ACTUAL BUSINESS
IN ROCK ISLAND
TN Koch, Veteran Gunsmith,
Gas Record Equaled by None
Now Living.
WORKING NOW AT BENCH
before Railroad and First Work
Was Changing Flint Locks TO
Tube and Cap Locks
WORKING NOW AT BENct

49,, Koch. the Eunsmith and sport
FOODS dealer. today celebrated the
-, anniversary OF his start in bust
in Rock Island. He holds the
,-,or Of being the only man now in
..,,re business in Rock Island who has
,.n engaged for so long a term of
-.,rs At his shop on Seventeenth
..-.s, he worked today as usual, and
"a, vas his celebration
" Koch came here before Rock Is
- had a railroad. He first saw it
= A.. rough. raw frontier river town of
t.v hundred souls, and in the brief
-..rvsls he has allowed himself from
=. work he has noted the changes
,hicb marked its passing through the
-,rsous stazt= 20 a modern city. The
eory of his life. covered in the follow
AZ printed IN the current issued OF
Ne Sporting Goods Dealer:
-Johu Koch. octogenarian, a native
. Switzerland, where he started TO
,srn the trade of gunsmith, came TO
ne United States when he was but a
NV and has for 90 years been making,
-.building and repairing guns for
soortsnen in Rock Island. Ill. John
Koch has the reputation of having
zen in business. continuously, proba-
sly as long as any gunsmith in the
nstion. The writer was about to say
nat he had been in business longer
nan any other gunsmith, but such
statement might be disputed.
Made Gun at 10.
John Koch was born in Truebbuck,
8 Gallen. Switzerland, where. as Mr..
Koch explains IL now, the rod played
4 prominent part in the educational in
s,itutions. and he may have taken
liking 10 firearms out OF a spirit of de-
tense. Before he was Is years old,
young Koch had made rife alone and
snaided, except in the making of the
stock. He forged and filed every part
Of the mechanism. including lock, lock
pate. handspring, tumbler. bride. scar
and breakoh. There was a rife range
near his home in Switzerland and af-
Ter The man 10 whom he had been APP
Frsnticsd failed, the young man enter
- e-A1 LIS Va a. - " ~ o-NCAAAAN- liz
otien was called upon by some OF the
Swiss experts 10 repair their rifles
Finally he was apprenticed 10 another
gg1smith and at the end Of two years
vas given a certificate OF character
AID letter OF recommendation. When
is returned he learned that his family
Ess preparing to move 10 America.
With his parents he landed in .Daven-
70Tt. Iowa. just across the Mississippi
river from Rock Island. in 1851. and
in 1854 he established a business of
ais own in Rock Island.
In those days almost everybody was
he owner OF a firing piece. most OF
hem being muzzle loading. The de
nznd Tor a gunsmith in Rock Island
Ess exceptionally good, and young
Koch prospered. The Rock Island
rsilroad was then in progress OF con-
E,ruction between Chicago and Rock
ksnd. and Rock Island was 10 be a
great town
Changed Old FIintloeks.
The prairie and timber lands about
ne city as well as the streams fur
nished excellent hunting, and during
ne hunting season the Swiss gunsmith
'ss kept busy. He repaired guns for
sone Of the best known sportsmen OF
ne dsy. and in his time has handled
sone Of the finest guns made. He was
aEsys psinstaking and careful. and
10 short time had built up an envia-
De reputation az a gunsmith. Guns
'eEe sent 20 him for repairs for many !
niles up and down the Mississippi. |
During the early period OF his career
ae changed many firing pieces from /
lntloek TO tube and caplocks. which 4
: those days we're becoming the real !
.ning IN modern firearms. Every man 1
% the country who had 1intlock .
'1hted his firearm modernized, and /
.hen it was learned that the young 4
,Niss Gunsm.th could do the work, he /
vas kept busy.
he IS one OF The fine old Swiss types, 4
iSny OF whom were once to be found 4
.nong the high class mechanics Of the .
nted States. He was long recognized
an expert in gun troubles He knew
,e'ter than anybody else his limita-
lons' and Fever attempted to do some