Creative History

  On February 13, 1961 three small business owners: Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell--artisans by trade who specialize in the crafting of handmade jewelry and sell their creations at a local boutique--are out in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near the Nevada border in western California scouring the arid countryside looking for interesting mineral specimens known as ‘geodes’. A ‘geode’ in geologic terms is defined as a: Geological secondary formation within sedimentary or volcanic rocks.  In layman's terms a geode is typically a hollowed out rock usually in the shape of a sphere, or cylinder, with some sort of mineral deposit at the center.  Usually these mineral deposits are quite colorful, and often they are very beautiful which is why geodes are something that three small business owners specializing in handmade jewelry would be out scouring a California hillside in search of in the first place. As it was, on that fateful day of February 13,...

            The count begins one...two... But before the count of three is reached United States Senator from California David C. Broderick’s Belgian made .58 caliber pistol misfires harmlessly into the dirt at his feet. Standing ten paces away from Broderick is former California State Supreme Court Justice, and one time close personal friend of Broderick’s, David S. Terry. Despite the mishap Broderick continues to stand tall.  On the count of three Terry doesn’t flinch and instantly pulls the trigger. Terry has taken aim directly at Broderick’s chest and when he fires the bullet instantly enters the Senator’s lungs. Weeks later at his trial Terry will claim that he, “only intended to graze him with a flesh wound,” but most who witnessed the duel will claim under oath that Supreme Court Justice Terry shot with intent to kill. The mortally wounded David C. Broderick is rushed to a waterfront house on San Francisco’s Black Point Beach. ...