Luna Park, Coney Island

1906

The Dragon’s Gorge was an enclosed roller coaster, a scenic railroad that brought the passenger on a fantastic trip from the bottom of the sea, through a waterfall, to the North Pole, Africa, the Grand Canyon, and even into Hades, the kingdom of death, over the river Styx. Two dragons framed the entrance, their eyes glowing from globes of green electric light. The ride caught fire in 1944, ultimately leading to the closing of the park two years later.