Gold Rusher opened along with the rest of Magic Mountain during the park's grand opening on May 29, 1971. The old style Arrow Development cars are made so the ride operator has to open them up manually. The ride normally operates with one or two trains due to the low popularity. While the ride does not have a high attendance, it is still a favorite of many guests because the ride is not as aggressive as the other roller coasters in the park. Children who prefer not riding the park's most aggressive rides such as: Apocalypse, Goliath, Revolution, Superman: Escape from Krypton and X2 ride Gold Rusher because the ride itself is not as aggressive and gives the guests a good amount of thrill. Wait times are usually no longer than 5 minutes during the off-peak season. It was the first roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, making it a historic coaster. The ride has undergone few changes since it began operating in 1971.