FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - In time for the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, award-winning University of Arkansas filmmaker Larry Foley presents a documentary about the role of Arkansas in integrating that vast new territory with the rest of the nation.

No single acquisition of land did more to shape the United States than the Louisiana Purchase. But when Thomas Jefferson bought the land from France in 1803, the exact boundaries and geographical features of the territory were largely unknown. The quest to map and measure that mysterious land began at the territory’s edge, between the convergence of two rivers in a wilderness that would one day be known as the state of Arkansas.

Produced through a collaboration between the University, Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) and the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office, "It Started Here: Early Arkansas and the Louisiana Purchase" explores the history of the state from 1803 to 1836, beginning with that critical role in surveying the Louisiana territory.

"What we tried to do with this film was give a perspective of what was significant and special about Arkansas during this time period," said Foley, associate professor of journalism. "The survey of the Louisiana Purchase started in eastern Arkansas. But also, you have the story of settlement, of American Indian conflicts, of catastrophic natural events - what was going on in Arkansas during that time was really a microcosm of what was happening all across the nation."

The documentary premieres next week at 9:30 p.m., May 26, on AETN and will run again at 6:30 p.m. on May 30.

From its opening scenes, the 30-minute film drives home the present-day significance of this chapter in Arkansas history. Its first images evoke the land as it was in 1815 - pristine river and an overgrowth of foliage, populated by insects and birds, punctuated by the chirping call of alligators. But the scene cuts to traffic on Baseline Road in Little Rock, tracing the original survey line, not only through distance but through time - from its starting point in eastern Arkansas through the capitol city, from the wilderness of 1815 to the urban jungle today.

As the narrators of the documentary explain, that survey line extended through Arkansas, branching out to cover territory that would become Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas, all the way to the Canadian border.

"[The survey] was a big deal, and without it our whole system of land ownership, which is critical to the way that the free United States operates in terms of land ownership, that whole system would fall apart," said Bill Ruck, a surveyor interviewed in the film.

Just as the survey eventually described the entire, varied geography of Arkansas, Foley and his team use its story to cover a broader historical terrain. In addition to discussing the Louisiana Purchase, the film addresses the history of Arkansas Post, oldest settlement west of the Mississippi River, and the founding of Ft. Smith, built to keep peace between two warring indian tribes. It touches upon the lives of the Quapaw, Osage and Cherokee Indians in Arkansas and describes the New Madrid earthquake that shook the region around 1811.

In addition, the film chronicles one of the first expeditions to explore the Arkansas territory - that of William Dunbar and George Hunter. Foley’s well acquainted with the subject, having completed a documentary last fall that followed Hunter and Dunbar’s 1804 journey up the Ouachita River. Produced with UA associate professor of journalism, Dale Carpenter, that film - "The Forgotten Expedition" - prepared Foley to tackle this next chapter in Arkansas history.

"These documentaries are really part one and part two of the same epic," Foley said. "I learned so much on 'The Forgotten Expedition’ that I’ve been able to apply here - from becoming familiar with the history to tracking down visuals."

As Foley discovered on the previous project, one of the challenges of producing a documentary on 19th century topics is the fact that no photographs exist to provide tangible images for the story. In place of still photography, Foley recruited a group called the Early Arkansas Reenactors Association to play out the Louisiana Territory survey. The result is a first-hand glimpse of the techniques and trials that marked early exploration.

In addition, Foley depended on cameraman and editor Trey Marley - one of his former students - to provide details of landscape and location shots, which the filmmakers interspersed with illustrations, maps, interviews and documents to accompany the ongoing narration. Another UA graduate, Kris Carson, created graphics and illustrations for the film.

The historical depth and the eye-catching visuals of "It Started Here" make the documentary particularly useful for junior high teachers covering Arkansas history in their classrooms. In making the film, Foley considered students and schools among the main audiences for the project.

"This film could be very valuable for telling the story of Arkansas from the time the land was purchased until it obtained statehood in 1836," Foley said. "While we may not have an Alamo or Custer’s last stand or a gunfight at the OK Corral, Arkansas played an important role. If you take a look at American history and compare it to this little block of Arkansas history, you see it’s all contained there."

"It Started Here: Early Arkansas and the Louisiana Purchase" was written and directed by Larry Foley, with camerawork and editing by Trey Marley and original music by UA professor, James Greeson. Ann Clements of the Secretary of State’s Office served as Project Director. The film was produced in partnership with the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Committee of Arkansas. Funding came from the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the Arkansas Secretary of State office.