Cindy Kopcinski and Janis Smith (Mitchell) are mother and daughter rock hound and mining partners at Lucky Strike, where they mine "thunder eggs" -- geological curiosities collected from the site for centuries. Both women cut, polish, and create original art from thunder eggs which, like geodes, look non-descript on the exterior but reveal complex, crystal- line interiors when sliced open.
Bio
Mother and daughter team, Cindy Kopcinski and Janis Smith, happily label themselves “rock hounds.” Mining and working with local gems and minerals is their passion. The two are partners in Lucky Strike Mines, an excavation on the border of Wheeler and Crook counties. Kopcinski and Smith believe that Lucky Strike is the best place in the world to unearth "thunder eggs." Somewhat like geodes, these formations look non-descript on the exterior but reveal complex, crystal- line interiors when sliced open. Kopcinski and Smith bring many of the thunder eggs they mine back to Kopcinski’s home in Mitchell. Here, the pair craft and sell stone art and curate at a geological museum. One of Kopcinski’s trademark arts includes lamps with translucent shades made from thunder egg slices. Smith specializes in deer antler mobiles with dangling, polished sections of thunder eggs. Signs reading "Rock Shop" and "Cutting Slices" entice passers-by to browse the artful bounty for sale under a small, tented area. In this part of Oregon, finding and displaying thunder eggs is more than just a hobby. For Kopcinski, Smith, and other local rock hounds, the thunder egg experience, from mining to exhibition, is a cultural tradition with longstanding ties to family and place. Indigenous and European populations have collected from the Lucky Strike site for centuries. In contemporary times, families and individuals make regular pilgrimages to Lucky Strike. Kopcinski and Smith devote themselves to maintaining this tradition, working to keep Lucky Strike open as an accessible recreational mine.
