The ride originated at Prater in Austria, where it operated throughout the 1980's.
1001 Nights then opened at Circus World in Haines City, Florida, USA in 1985.[1] It operated until the park (later renamed Boardwalk and Baseball) permanently closed on January 17, 1990. The ride was later auctioned off and subsquently sold.
The ride was purchased by Funtime Parks and reopened in 1991 at Geauga Lake and was called Mirage.[2] After the 1999 season, the ride was removed as part of the park's remodel into Six Flags Ohio. The ride was later reinstalled and rethemed. It reopened under the new name El Dorado in 2001 as part of the park's further rebranding into Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.[3] In 2004, the park was sold to Cedar Fair. After the 2007 season, Cedar Fair announced that the amusement park side of Geauga Lake would not reopen for the 2008 season.[4] El Dorado was subsequently dismantled and sent to Kings Dominion, where it reopened on April 4, 2009.[5][6]
El Dorado was removed after the 2011 season.[7] As of December 2012, the ride remained in the park's boneyard.[8] It was eventually sold in 2014 and relocated to Knoebels for use as spare parts for their 1001 Nacht ride, which closed in 2019. [3] [5]