JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JULY 25, 2018 – "Thomas Hart Benton Paints Lewis and Clark" is the title of the next installment of the First Saturday Lecture series hosted by Arrow Rock State Historic Site. The lecture is set for 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, August 4, at the historic site’s visitor center. It is free and open to the public.
Presenting the lecture will be Steve Sitton, administrator of the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site in Kansas City. Sitton has been at the Benton Home since 2001 and has worked for Missouri State Parks since October 1994.
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.
Arrow Rock State Historic Site is located at 39521 Visitor Center Drive. For more information about the event, call the Arrow Rock State Historic Site at 660-837-3330.
For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit https://mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.