"The Oregon Trail" (1945). Considered a visual historian for his ability to paint rural scenes with a storyteller's flair, Thomas Hart Benton transformed dramatic accounts from author Francis Parkman's 1847 book, "The Oregon Trail," into vibrant watercolors. Benton's distinctive realist style brings life to the centennial publication of Parkman's book and Benton's illustrations are art treasures of Nebraska at the Museum of Nebraska Art.