Third Thursdays with The Castle: "Opening the Door West" The Story of the Ohio Company of Associates

This program is in partnership with the Marietta College History Department 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. The program was produced by Shelburne Films in association with WOUB-TV (PBS). It was shown on all the Ohio PBS stations as part of Ohio's Bicentennial Celebration in 2003. The story is told with the help of 11 historians and scholars, 15 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 researched and based on authentic compositions from the era. The two-hour documentary was recognized with four prestigious film and video awards. About our Presenters: Ellen Shelburne As the producer of OTDW, pre-production I was responsible for locating the various filming locations (in several states), finding, and communicating with the historical reenactors as well as the historians and scholars that we interviewed. I arranged permission for use of the historical paintings and drawings. During production, I wore several hats depending on the situation. My major responsibilities were making sur