Lumen Martin Winter (December 12, 1908 – April 5, 1982) was an American public artist whose skills in sculpture, paintings, and works on paper, were widely known during his lifetime.

His ability to master a wide range of media – including oil paint, watercolor, marble, and wood – helped Winter maintain his ideology of not reconciling to a single artistic approach.

The ranch was located on the outskirts of the old Santa Fe Trail, where Winter observed seeing ruts in the ground from the countless early pioneer wagons that undertook the westward expansion journey in the 19th century.

In February 1929, Winter decided to pursue better artistic and personal fortunes in New York City; there he studied at the National Academy of Design under Impressionist; Ivan G. Olinksy and at the Grand Central School of Art under Abstract Expressionist; Arshile Gorky.

His mural created to decorate the historic Gwen B. Giles Station post office in St. Louis depicts the city's Old Levee and Market.

The lively scene depicts a family trying to get out of the way of a stagecoach with unruly horses while two nearby men stand against a tree whose marker indicates Boone’ Lick Trail that ran west from St. Louis to Arrow Rock.

[7] Winter's experiences living in the rural Midwest as a child left lasting impressions on his artistic direction, as many of his works themes included horizontal landscapes and horses.

He would travel along the Santa Fe Trail and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where he found great inspiration from the flora and fauna of the region.

[8] Throughout his early career, Winter had great ambition to travel to Europe and assimilate the practices and stylistic approaches he would learn there into his own unique style.

The Leonardo project provided an additional education for Winter and it gave the artist an initial exposure to Europe which satisfied his lifelong dream to travel there and absorb insights and in-person influences from Renaissance masterworks.

His relationship with this firm allowed Winter to complete some of his most significant public art and sculpture projects and enabled him to use the extensive marble quarries nearby.

Dedicated by President John F. Kennedy on March 3, 1961, the glass covered marble depicted a total of 176 figures – moose, bears, wolves, and birds of every description.