Legend: The municipal swimming pool in Klamath Falls was built with money from the red-light district.

Status: Mostly false.

Discussion: This story -- perhaps the most popular of all local Klamath legends -- has an element of truth, but has been greatly embellished over the years.

Most of the cost of the municipal swimming pool was covered by a voter-approved property tax levy passed by voters in 1952. The levy raised $150,000 in revenue. See story.

Two years later, as the pool was nearing completion, the local newspaper broke a story about a "Civic Improvement Fund" made up of revenues that had been collected by the city from houses of prostitution over a period of nearly four years. See story.

A follow-up story gave a breakdown of how the funds were spent, with the biggest allocation ($16,679.50) going to construction of a new jail. Other projects to receive "Civic Improvement" funds included the swimming pool, the city band, the armory, the community lounge, an audit, and pay raises for city employees. See story.

When the pool opened in May 1954, a cost breakdown showed the city had spent $173,500 on development of the swimming pool. Revenues from the "Civic Improvement Fund" would have made up about 6 percent of that total. See story.

The municipal pool was named in honor of Ella Redkey, left, a widely respected youth leader who was the first manager of the pool.