A life-size bronze of Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, his wife Fanny and their dog Chuchu will be unveiled at noon Saturday, Nov. 7, at the historic 1868 Calistoga Depot, the Scottish Banner reported. Visitors will be able to sit beside the figures on a Victorian-style bench.
How it came together
- The idea: St. Helena resident Eric Hanson first wanted a bench to save his split-rail fence from students at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School across the street, then added a sculpture as an educational nod, NBC Bay Area reported.
- The sculptor: After about seven years, Hanson met sculptor Garr Ugalde at a New Year's Eve party. "I said 'well then what are you waiting for?'" Ugalde recalled.
- The site: After efforts in St. Helena went nowhere, Calistoga Depot owner Michael Madden agreed to host it. The sculpture will sit in front of original railcars, according to NBC Bay Area.
- Funding: The pair raised money through private donations and grants. The bronze is being cast at a foundry in Burbank.
Fanny was added after the pair's research showed her importance. "She was his first editor and she was actually the one that convinced him to start writing fiction," Ugalde said.
Stevenson and Fanny came to Calistoga in 1880 and stayed at an abandoned bunkhouse at the Silverado Mine on Mount St. Helena, which inspired "The Silverado Squatters." The dedication falls six days before Stevenson's Nov. 13 birthday.