Camas celebrates recovery of the Little Bronze Girl statue, including one family with a special bond to the work of art

There is an inspiring backstory for Olivia Brotherton and her grandfather Randy Curtis regarding the Little Bronze Girl statue — which was stolen last week and found by Camas police

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

The Downtown Camas Association went from distraught to “over the moon” happy in a little more than 24 hours last week when the association announced that the city’s famous Little Bronze Girl statue was stolen … and then found in good shape.

The statue of a girl reading her book was installed in downtown Camas early in the 21st century, with the goal to bring joy to all who saw her.

For one family, there is a truly personal connection.

Olivia Brotherton, now a sophomore at Oregon State, was the inspiration for a rededication of the statue back in 2014. It was her idea that inspired her grandfather, Randy Curtis, to create a new book for the girl.

It turns out, this was not the first time the Little Bronze Girl was lost. Soon after it was dedicated in 2002, thieves stole the statue. When the statue was recovered, the book that the little girl was reading was detached, taken, never to be found.

So the Little Bronze Girl returned to downtown Camas, but instead of reading a book, she just was looking down at … nothing in her hands.

For all of Olivia’s life up to that point in 2014, there was no book. 

That was about to change.

“Olivia said, ‘Something is not right. The little girl looks so sad,’” Curtis recalled. 

Then she asked: “Can we get her a book?”

The family brought different sizes of books to the statue, to get a sense of the perfect fit. Then Curtis, using composite decking material, cut some pieces together and carved out a replica of a book. 

Reattaching that to a bronze statue proved difficult, though. The city took the book that Curtis created and found an artist who, using the lost wax process, created a bronze replica of the book. 

“The book was missing for about 10 years. Thousands of people walked by that statue,” said Curtis, a board member of the Downtown Camas Association. “It took the mind of a 9-year-old to inspire us to go back and get her a new book. ‘Can’t we do something for her?’”

As an added touch, there is a wonderful family secret associated with the new book.

“Not too many people know this,” Curtis said, “if you kneel down and look at the cover of the book, it will say ‘For Olivia, 2014.’

Olivia Brotherton was in Corvallis last week when she learned that the statue had been stolen.

“I was kind of sad,” she said, and even wondered for a second why she was so sad over a statue.

Then it hit her.

“It’s a fun little fact about our family that we can share with people,” she said of the statue and her personal connection to the rededication project in 2014. “My grandpa put so much effort in the book.”

Brotherton said she was thrilled when she received word that the statue had been found.

With the Little Bronze Girl being back in the news, memories started flooding in for Brotherton.

“I remember being nervous but also excited,” she said of the rededication in 2014. “There was a decent size crowd. They were all staring at me. I was there with my grandpa, so that made me feel better. It was a fun moment with my grandpa.

“I’m really thankful to my grandpa for helping me be part of that,” she said. “It’s neat to be part of it. The town is very special to me.”

These days, the statue is often decorated with flowers and/or hats.

Brotherton loves seeing the statue.

“It means a lot. It reminds me of the joy of children,” Brotherton said. “I was a kid, and I had that great curiosity. ‘What’s wrong with her?’ Just reminds me of the child that is left in all of us.”

Notes: The Downtown Camas Association posted this on its Facebook page on May 30: “It is with a heavy heart that we let you know that our Little Bronze Girl by the fountain on 4th and Cedar has been stolen.”

Then, on May 31: “AMAZING NEWS!!!! Camas Police just let us know that our Little Bronze Girl has been recovered and she is in good shape! … This will be one big ol incredible celebration when she is re-installed in our downtown! Stay tuned for future details.”