The very first American roller coaster was not built in a city or an amusement park, but in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Even thought the Mauch Chunk Switchback railway was more of a railroad system, itis still considered the forefather of today’s roller coasters.
This primitive type of coaster transported coal from the top of Mount Pisgah to the canal in the valley below. Mules helped run the empty cars back up theslope of the mountain. This coaster, also known as a switchback, was inoperation until the mine closed in the early 1870’s.
The very first roller coaster ever made was built in Russia in the 1400 or 1500’s. During the winter, seventy-foot hills were made of pure hard packed snow and wood. Water was sprayed on to the snow for it to freeze,causing the track to become slicker. Guides would hold the rider in their lapas they made their way down the track. The Russian empress, Catherine the Great,loved this activity so much, that she ordered wheels to be put on the sleds soshe could enjoy riding during the summer.
In 1870, the first real roller coaster, Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway, arrived in North America. It was located at Coney Island, near Brooklyn in New York City,New York. This amusement park had theshore, food, shows, guess-your-weight-booths, fortune tellers, and you guessedit, park rides!
LaMarcus Adna Thompson is the maker of the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway. Thompson thought that the coaster ride should provide a nice entertainment for the people of New York City. Single cars were able to hold ten passengers while goingalong a gentle, wavy hill at a top speed of six miles per hour. Still, the ridewas extremely popular, earning $600 dollars daily, at five cents a ride. Theconstruction cost for this ride was paid fully in 3 weeks.
Richard Knudsen and J.G. Taylor received the United States patents for what they called ‘inclined-plan railways’. On this ride, two adjacent railway tracks ran between two towerscarrying four passenger cars. Gravity’s force would then pull the cars gentlydown the sloping hills. Then the cars would be hauled up by an elevator on theopposite tower to return the car to the other side. But it’s believed that neitherKnudsen nor Taylor designed this ride.
The reason why I chose this topic for my assigned blog is because I love roller coasters. They're the first rides I want to go on when I visit amusement parks. My all time favorite roller coaster in the Mamba in World of Fun.
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