Editing Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania (section)

==Mauch Chunk Switchback Gravity Railroad==
{{main|Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway}}

In 1827, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, a coal mining and shipping company with operations in [[Summit Hill, Pennsylvania|Summit Hill]], constructed an {{convert|8.7|mi|km|adj=on}} downhill track, known as a [[gravity railroad]], to deliver coal (and a miner to operate the mine train's brake) to the [[Lehigh Canal]] in Mauch Chunk. This helped open up the area to commerce, and helped to fuel the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the United States. By the 1850s, the "Gravity Road" (as it became known) was providing rides to thrill seekers for 50 cents a ride (equal to ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|0.50|1855|r=2}}}} today). It is often cited as the first [[roller coaster]] in the United States. The Switchback Gravity Railroad Foundation was formed to study the feasibility of preserving and interpreting the remains of the Switchback Gravity Railroad on top of Mount Pisgah.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.switchbackgravityrr.org|title=The switchback Gravity Railroad|website=switchbackgravityrr.org}}</ref>