As coasters go, Ohio has had an embarrassment of riches. With Cedar Point, Kings Island and Geauga Lake producing legendary rides, we've been the envy of coaster enthusiasts for decades. That also means many coasters have come and gone, including such legendary rides as Cedar Point's original Mean Streak and Geauga Lake's Big Dipper.

Big Dipper, American Coaster Enthusiasts

Ohio's most legendary roller coasters

AKRON, Ohio – Do you remember your first roller coaster ride? How about the scariest coaster? If you were bitten by the coaster bug you joined a multitude of roller-coaster lovers around the world.



"There's something about the roar and the speed and the power of the roller coaster," said Tim Baldwin, spokesman for the American Coaster Enthusiasts. "How many opportunities do you have in your life where you can can throw you hands in the air and scream your head off and it's considered normal?"



Coaster enthusiasts divide into camps, with some favoring the older-style wooden coasters and others leaning toward contemporary metal rides. Some are devoted to favorite parks, while others plan vacations around coasters they've never experienced.



And most coaster lovers grieve their favorite rides long after they're gone, submitting photos to fan pages around the web and contributing to a robust roller coaster database that tracks coasters around the world.



Over the decades, Ohio has lost many much-loved roller coasters. Read on to see some of our favorites, and some obscure coasters, all gone forever.

-- Jennifer Conn, cleveland.com

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Cedar Point Collection, Wikimedia Commons

Switchback Railway, Cedar Point

Cedar Point's first roller coaster, the Switchback Railway operated between 1892 and 1907. A wooden coaster 25 feet high, it went 10 miles per hour. With no powered lift, it was pulled back to the station by hand.

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Cedar Fair, L.P., Wikimedia Commons

Scenic Railway, Cedar Point

Cedar Point's Scenic Railway, later named High Frolics, operated in the 1920s.

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Cedar Fair, L.P., Wikimedia Commons

Figure-Eight Roller Toboggan, Cedar Point

Operating between 1910-1928, Cedar Point's Figure-Eight Roller Toboggan, later renamed renamed Racer, was a 46-foot-high wooden roller coaster.

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Cedar Point Collection, Wikimedia Commons

Leap the Dips, Cedar Point

Leap the Dips operated at Cedar Point in the 1920s.

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Cedar Fair, L.P., Wikimedia Commons

Cyclone, Cedar Point

The back curve of the Cyclone at Cedar Point, in 1934.

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Macserv, Wikimedia Commons

Jumbo Jet, Cedar Point

An aerial photograph of the Jumbo Jet roller coaster at Cedar Point in July 1973. The coaster operated 1972–1978.

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Coasterman1234,Wikimedia Commons

Mantis, Cedar Point

Mantis, Cedar point's stand-up roller coaster, operated 1996-2014. The tallest and fastest of its kind, the Mantis gave 22 million rides in 18 years.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Avalanche Run, Cedar Point

Avalanche Run operated at cedar Point 1985-1990. It was completely open when built next to the beach at a cost of $3.4 million.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Disaster Transport, Cedar Point

Formerly Avalanche Run at Cedar Point, Disaster Transport ran until 2012. it was the only indoor roller coaster at Cedar Point and the only bobsled coaster when it debuted.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Demon Drop, Cedar Point

Cedar Point's Demon Drop was a free-fall ride that operated 1983-2009. Located at the front of the park, it featured a 60-foot drop that took less than 2 seconds. The coaster was moved to sister park Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in 2010.

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Rachel Keck, cleveland.com

Mean Streak, Cedar Point

Cedar Point's Mean Streak was a popular wooden roller coaster that was the tallest in the world with the longest drop when it opened. It operated from 1991 to 2016. At more than three minutes, the coaster's ride time was the longest in the park. There are rumors the coaster could resurface soon.

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Wikimedia Commons

Flying Turns, Euclid Beach Park

One of Ohio's most popular parks in the early days was Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland, which operated from 1895 to 1969. The park's first roller coaster opened in 1896. This picture was taken before 1910.

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Akron Beacon Journal, Summit Memory Project

Figure 8 and Racer, Silver Lake Amusement Park

Silver Lake Amusement Park, near Stow, was built in 1876 and drew up to 10,000 visitors a day via train. It had at least two wooden roller coasters in its history, a merry-go-round, a midway, a dance hall and a dining pavilion. Here soldiers stand in front of the roller coaster in 1917. The park closed after World War I.

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Akron Beacon Journal, Summit Memory Project

Radio Streak, Springfield Lake Park

The Radio Streak roller coaster at Springfield Lake Park in Lakemore. For a time, Springfield Lake Park was the biggest amusement park in Ohio. This picture was taken in the 1930s, the day after the coaster crashed due to operator negligence. The crash sent 11 people to the hospital. Lawsuits following the accident led to the park's closure.

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. American Coaster Enthusiasts

Son of Beast, Kings Island

Son of Beast at Kings Island was a wooden coaster operating 2000-2009. It broke the world record for speed and featured a 214-foot drop.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

The Bat, Kings Island

Operating at Kings Island 1981-1983, the Bat was a popular suspended roller coaster. The ride was frequently closed due to mechanical problems, which contributed to its short life span.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

The Demon, Kings Island

The Demon at Kings Island operated 1977-1987. It was a steel, high-speed coaster 56 feet tall that could go 45 miles per hour.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

King Cobra, Kings Island

Operating 1984-2001, King Cobra at Kings Island was designed as a stand-up coaster, unlike others that were redesigned from sit-down rides. When it was dismantled, after parts became to expensive, pieces of the ride were incorporated into other rides, including Shockwave.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Head Spin, Geauga Lake

Head Spin at Geauga Lake was a steel, sit-down coaster that operated 1996-2007. It was 116 feet high and traveled 47 mph.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Double Loop, Geauga Lake

The first coaster in the world to feature two consecutive loops, Geauga Lake's Double Loop operated from 1977 until the park permanently closed in 2007.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Villain, Geauga Lake

Villain was opened at Geauga Lake as part of an expansion Six Flags brought to the park. It operated from 2000 to 2007. It was a wooden hybrid coaster with steel supports and a wood track. Villain's trains are now at Kings Island, but not yet in use on another ride.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Thunder Hawk, Geauga Lake

Formerly known as Serial Thriller, Thunder Hawk at Geauga Lake was a suspended looping coaster that stood 109-feet high and was 2,260 feet long. Operating from 1998 to 2003, it was one of the most popular rides at the park, with a top speed of 49 mph.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Dominator, Geauga Lake

Dominator at Geauga Lake was a floorless roller coaster that operated from 2000 until the park closed in 2007. It originally opened as Batman when Six Flags Ohio owned the park. When Cedar Fair bought the park in 2004, many rides were renamed since the company didn't own the rights to DC Comics or Looney Tunes characters.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

X-Flight, Geauga Lake

Geauga Lake's X-Flight was advertised as the first flying roller coaster in the Midwest. When it was built in 2000, Geauga Lake Road had to be rerouted around the coaster. It operated from 2001-2006 when it was dismantled and moved to Kings Island where it is now the Firehawk.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Raging Wolf Bobs, Geauga Lake

Geauga Lake's Raging Wolf Bobs was a wooden roller coaster that opened in 1988 and was closed a few months before the park permanently closed after a train derailed and rolled backward. There were no injuries, but the accident caused significant damage to the coaster. The ride remained closed until the park closed forever on Sept. 21, 2007.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Big Dipper, Geauga Lake

The Big Dipper was the oldest operating wooden roller coaster in the U.S. when Geauga Lake closed in 2007. The Big Dipper opened in 1925 as the Sky Rocket, became the Clipper in the late 40s and was named the Big Dipper in 1969. Demolished in 2007, the big Dipper was one of the last remaining coasters in the world designed by legendary designer John A. Miller.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Wild Cat, Idora Park

Idora Park known as "Youngstown's Million Dollar Playground," operated from 1899 to 1984. The Wild Cat roller coaster opened in 1930 and in 1984 was still ranked among the top 10 coasters in the world. In April 1984, a fire destroyed part of the Wild Cat along with the park's offices, the Lost River ride and most of the game booths on the lower midway. The park closed for good Sept. 3, 1984.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Jack Rabbit, Idora Park

Idora Park's Jack Rabbit operated as Dip the Dips from 1914 to 1923. The 70-foot-tall wooden coaster with a top speed of 23 mph was lengthened in the 1930s and renamed Jack Rabbit. Just before the park permanently closed the trains were reversed and the coaster was renamed the Back Wabbit.

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American Coaster Enthusiasts

Screechin' Eagle, LeSourdsville Lake

LeSourdsville Lake in Middletown opened in 1922 and was renamed Americana Amusement Park in 1977. It permanently closed in 2002. The Screechin' Eagle was a classic out and back wooden coaster designed by prominent coaster designer John A. Miller as the Cyclone for a park in Zanesville. It was moved to LeSourdsville in 1938 and renamed the Space Rocket. It was renamed the Screechin' Eagle in 1978.

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Ross Leighliter, Friends of the Whale, Geauga Lake Park

Fostering the art of the roller coaster

To learn more about active and closed roller coasters around the world, visit American Coaster Enthusiasts. With more than 5,000 members, the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization is the largest group for coaster fans in the world. The group fosters and promotes enjoyment, conservation and knowledge of wooden and steel roller coasters.

American Coaster Enthusiasts hosts events at parks around the country and conducts international tours every two years to experience different coasters. A trip is now in the works to see Japan's leading roller coasters.

Visit American Coaster Enthusiasts or call 469-278-6223 for more information.