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In Los Angeles, the stretch of Wilshire Bvld between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues is known as the "Miracle Mile".

In the early 1920s, Wilshire Boulevard west of Western Avenue was an unpaved farm road, extending through dairy farms and bean fields. Developer A.W. Ross saw potential for the area, and developed Wilshire as a commercial district to rival downtown Los Angeles. Ross's insight was that the form and scale of his Wilshire strip should attract and serve automobile traffic rather than pedestrian shoppers.

Wilshire saw a few firsts in American automotive traffic flow; dedicated left-turn lanes, the first timed traffic lights in the United States; he also required merchants to provide automobile parking lots, all to aid traffic flow. Major retailers such as Desmonds, Silverwood's, May Co., Coulter's, Mullen & Bluett, and Seibu eventually spread across Wilshire Boulevard from Fairfax to La Brea.

As wealth and newcomers poured into the fast-growing city, Ross' parcel became one of Los Angeles's most desirable areas. Acclaimed as "America's Champs-Élysées," this stretch of Wilshire near the La Brea Tar Pits was named "Miracle Mile" for its improbable rise to prominence.

Although the preponderance of shopping malls and the development in the 1960s of financial and business districts in downtown and Century City lessened the Miracle Mile's importance as a retail and business center, the area has retained its vitality thanks to the addition of several museums and commercial high-rises. The Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, (LACMA) A+D Museum: Los Angeles, and La Brea Tar Pits museums, among others, positioned "Museum Row" on the Miracle Mile.

A sculptural bust of Ross stands at 5800 Wilshire, with the inscription, "A. W. Ross, founder and developer of the Miracle Mile. Vision to see, wisdom to know, courage to do."

Today the Miracle Mile saw a different sight. Two very large individuals faced off against each other amidst the stopped LA traffic. It was one of the busiest streets in America and today the traffic was at a standstill. People fled their cars as they sought shelter and safety in the various surrounding buildings.

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Jean Peterson was hiking the Boucher Trail in the Grand Canyon and she stopped to take a drink of water. It had taken forever to get the time off from her secretary job to take this trip, but working without a day off for the past year had been worth it. The Grand Canyon was breathtakingly beautiful and more than she could have ever imagined.

She pulled a water bottle out of her backpack and gulped down some water. The weather was perfect. It was in the mid-70s, not too hot, and sunny. Perfect for a day out on the trail and it wouldn't be too cold this evening to camp out.

Jean returned the water bottle to her pack and started walking again. A bright flash of light up ahead caught her eye. The sun reflecting off something metal perhaps? Curiosity got the best of her and she decided to check it out. Jean increased her pace and after awhile reached the source of the reflecting light.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of the very large ruby. It had to be worth...she couldn't imagine what it could be worth. She had never seen a gem that large before.

She bent over and picked it up.