The basis for establishing the community was a discovery of Gilsonite, a natural asphalt substance.
Founded in about 1888 as a Gilsonite mining camp, Dragon boomed in the first decade of the 20th century as the end-of-line town for the Uintah Railway.
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The reason for the town's existence was the veins of natural asphalt called Gilsonite, found nowhere else in the world, that run southeast to northwest through this region.
The town was named after the president of Mack Motor Company, because it was chosen to build the line from the remote Uintah Basin to the railroad, to transport Gilsonite.