Opening the Door West is a historical documentary that tells the tale of the first legal American settlement of the Northwest Territory. It details the beginning of the State of Ohio as well as the official start of our new nation’s westward expansion in 1788. We produced this program in association with WOUB-TV (PBS) in order to shed light on this crucial episode in American history. In fact, this documentary is the first time in over 150 years that the story of Ohio’s unique first settlement has been told for a popular audience.
Throughout the documentary, the story of the Ohio Company and the opening of the Ohio frontier is told with the help of 11 historians and scholars, 15 exceptional filming locations, over 200 historical reenactors portraying the pioneers, Native Americans, rangers, and Virginians, 54 historical paintings and drawings, and numerous 3D computer images representing the early settlements. The story is divided into 11 chapters and features 25 musical selections, all of which were carefully researched and based on authentic compositions from the era. All of these contributions enabled this two-hour documentary to be recognized with four prestigious film and video awards.
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