This large spring-fed swimming pool began as a watering hole on Tollunteeskee's Trail, later Emery Road, the first road cut and cleared through this area in 1787. In 1944, the Manhattan Project improved it and opened the new swimming pool on July 29, 1944, to serve the segregated white population. Oak Ridge's total population peaked at 75,000 in August 1945. Additional construction by J. A. Johnson Construction Company in June 1945 formed the present-day spring-fed pool, among the largest in the nation, and a grand opening celebration was held on July 4, 1945. Desegregated in 1955, the large outdoor pool has remained an oasis for city residents, tourists, and patrons from surrounding communities, becoming a civic icon and Oak Ridge landmark remembered fondly by locals and a summer destination for families from across East Tennessee.