Lewis and Clark at Eagle Creek

The noted American muralist, Thomas Hart Benton, had often painted historical themes. In 1965, accompanied by the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers, he took a three-week trip up the Missouri River to make sketches along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Benton also wanted to visit corresponding sites painted by world-renowned painter Karl Bodmer in 1833. The majority of the trip was spent in Montana’s White Cliffs area and resulted in his large painting of Lewis and Clark at Eagle Creek. Benton was 76 years old at the time of this expedition.