Three National Park Service sites in the West have recently completed video projects — all telling unique stories of how western trailblazers realized Thomas Jefferson’s spirit of Expansionism.

The Golden Spike National Historic Site’s orientation film, originally produced in 1969, chronicles the monumental joining of two railway lines to forge the transcontinental railroad. The original film was masterfully crafted, but suffered from faded colors, scratches, and a degraded sound track with outdated narration.

The restoration process, produced by U.S. Media Services of Denver, Colo., enables Golden Spike to provide an up-to-date story and to bring a greatly improved picture and sound experience to a new generation of visitors. Golden Spike has also made available a DVD of the program with closed captioning, audio description, and a special feature about the restoration process.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area recently completed a new video about a small, yet important river that led to the development of Northern Colorado. The video incorporates interviews with residents, scenic footage, and archival imagery to help tell the story of the river — from its early days of controversy over water rights, to its impact on today’s agricultural industry and burgeoning urban development.

A new orientation video is being produced for Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in Southeastern Colorado. Thanks to special effects, the new video includes cannon fire, a hailstorm, a riot, a structural fire, and a fandango to boot — just another day in life of the old Wild West.

Narrated by actor Peter Coyote, the film weaves together interpreter reenactment scenarios with historical images and period music. The result is a unique look back at the traders, tribes and travelers that converged at this landmark site along the old Sante Fe Trail. As with “The Golden Spike” project, the film will also be available on DVD.

All three projects were produced for the Park Service by U.S. Media Services, formerly U.S. Film and Video, based in Denver, Colo. Their Web site is www.usmediaservices.com.