# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Norman >  What is the history of Meyers Meat market on North Porter and Rock Creek

## ChargerAg

I drive by this place from time to time and can't ever figure out how old it is.    I have never seen any activity here and was wondering if anybody was familiar with it.

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## tfandango

I live nearby there and have wondered that as well.  I also wonder about the big lake directly south across Rock Creek and East of Norman North.  It is kind of hidden by trees but there are numerous buildings that say things like "boat shop" and stuff which makes me think it used to be more accessible than it is now.

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## YO MUDA

bump

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## ChargerAg

James Meyer  Obituaries  The Norman Transcript


Found this and thought it was pretty interesting.

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## tfandango

got a 404  :Frown: 

Does this one work? James Meyer - Norman Transcript: Obituaries

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## kevinpate

If it was ever open after I moved here in 86, I wasn't aware of it.

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## ChargerAg

Looks like they took the link down.   Maybe it expired becuase it doesn't work when i google the link.    

The obituary basically talked about how he open the meat market and ran it for 30 years.   I think it closed in 95 if i remember right.     I looked on the tax assessors website and it is still listed under the meyer name along with a bunch of other properties.

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## ChargerAg

> I live nearby there and have wondered that as well.  I also wonder about the big lake directly south across Rock Creek and East of Norman North.  It is kind of hidden by trees but there are numerous buildings that say things like "boat shop" and stuff which makes me think it used to be more accessible than it is now.


Its weird but I just read about this place in a magazine this weekend.   Its used to be called Tull lake/crystal lake.   Back in the 1940 it used to be a big swimming and boating type place.   They had to close it because embalming fluid from the cemetery got dumped into the lake.   I don't really understand how embalming fluid would have leaked into the lake from the cemetery but that is what the magazine said.

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## tfandango

> Its weird but I just read about this place in a magazine this weekend.   Its used to be called Tull lake/crystal lake.   Back in the 1940 it used to be a big swimming and boating type place.   They had to close it because embalming fluid from the cemetery got dumped into the lake.   I don't really understand how embalming fluid would have leaked into the lake from the cemetery but that is what the magazine said.


Very interesting, I'd like to read it.  What magazine was it?  Thanks!

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## Jersey Boss

> Very interesting, I'd like to read it.  What magazine was it?  Thanks!


The article was in the July issue of NORMAN magazine. The article profiled some "ol' timers" who discussed some of the old landmarks of Norman. The article mentioned the Tull/Crystal lake closing. The terminology used was that embalming fluid _ leaked_ into the lake and not dumped. There is a large cemetery just to the west of this area so I would imagine this fluid leaked from the graves that are located there.

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## ChargerAg

> The article was in the July issue of NORMAN magazine. The article profiled some "ol' timers" who discussed some of the old landmarks of Norman. The article mentioned the Tull/Crystal lake closing. The terminology used was that embalming fluid _ leaked_ into the lake and not dumped. There is a large cemetery just to the west of this area so I would imagine this fluid leaked from the graves that are located there.


I am sure i misremembered what the article said.   Looking at the satellite photo of the cemetery and the lake it seems strange that that much fluid would have leaked out and gotten into the lake.   I wonder if the real reason they shut it down was just that they weren't making enough money.

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## triumphrider74

I just found this thread, so resurrecting it after a loooong time.  

My father has been in Norman since his birth in 1932 and he used to go to Crystal Lake when he was a kid.  He said it had floating platforms with slides and springboards, paddle boats, and canoes.  From what I recall from discussions with him that in the 1950's a lot of these public swimming areas were shut down because of the polio scare.  It's a shame because that lake is amazing.  It seems to be spring fed because even during the worst droughts it's always at a constant level.

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