In its heyday in the 1920s, the Sulphur Springs area (also known as Florida’s Coney Island) was a go-to fun spot for tourists and many folks in Tampa. Streetcars brought hundreds of people to the area to enjoy the shopping arcade/hotel, 40-foot water slide, alligator farm, and the Sulphur Springs Dog Track. This pool was part of the larger Sulphur Springs Park. The natural mineral water flowed into the Hillsborough River and was a source of drinking water for Tampa. It was the spot for early competitive swimming meets, daredevil high dives, and recreation for the whole city.

By the 1950s, pollution from the surrounding sinkholes that feed Sulphur Springs was discovered and monitored. The spring closed to swimmers in 1986 due to contamination concerns. An in-ground chlorinated pool was constructed on the site, seen in the background, and opened in 2000. The spring is still used as a water source for the city but has been fenced off from visitors.

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