It is known that the woman known in Old Tascosa as “Frenchy McCormick” began her life in 1852, in the vicinity of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is also known that she left her birthplace at a young age, and possibly worked as a dancer on a Mississippi riverboat before taking a stagecoach to Dodge City.
The trail herd town was rough and rowdy, and the nameless girl worked the dance halls and saloons. It was there that she likely received the name ‘Frenchy,’ from a Texas cowboy who admired her looks and her dancing abilities.
In Dodge, Frenchy heard there was money to be made down south in Mobeetie, Texas, dancing for the cowboys and buffalo hunters . So she packed her dance costumes in a travelling trunk and made her way to the Texas Panhandle. There she met the man who would be her bridge between dance halls and respectability. He would also be the love of her life.
Mickey McCormick, or ‘Mack’ as she called him, was a dapper Irish gambler who also operated a hunting business and livery stable in Tascosa, about 100 miles up the Canadian River. He met Frenchy at the gaming tables, and it seemed he always won when the dancer was beside him. He called her his luck, and when he returned to Tascosa, he kept that luck by his side.
In 1880, Tascosa was booming, and the livery stable and sideline gambling brought prosperity to the pair. Frenchy was a gifted card dealer, known for her skill at dealing the card-guessing game, Monte. Her man, Mickey, built her a two-room adobe house near Atascosa Creek.
In 1881, when Oldham County was organized – and Tascosa was named the county seat – Frenchy and Mickey were married by the justice of the peace. The name that Frenchy listed on the marriage license was “Elizabeth McGraw,” a name that would be given 56 years later when she applied to the state for an old-age pension.
Life for the McCormicks continued to prosper for several years. However, in the late 1880s, the introduction of barbed wire “fenced Tascosa in,” and the incoming railroad being built across the river caused most residents to move away. The livery stable was sold at a loss, and gambling slowed considerably. But Mickey continued his hunting, and with a milk cow and vegetable patch, the McCormicks lived pretty well. However, Mickey’s health began to fail, and he died in 1912.
Frenchy buried him in a cemetery one-half mile east of the little adobe house, so she could see the gravestone each day. When Tascosa lost the county seat, the town cleared out quickly. By 1915, Frenchy was the sole resident of Tascosa, which was rapidly turning into a ghost town.
Still, she stayed in the adobe house near the grave of her Mickey for 24 years. She finally agreed to live with a friend in Channing, TX, but always with the understanding that she was just visiting; she claimed to always be looking forward to joining her beloved Mickey.
The day finally came on January 12th, 1941. Frenchy was laid to rest beside her husband with a concise tombstone reading: “Frenchy” Elizabeth McCormick, August 11th, 1852 to January 12th, 1941.
When she arrived in Tascosa, she vowed, “No one will ever find out who I am.” And perhaps with the possible exception of her beloved “Mack,” that promise was kept.
Information used in writing this story was found in the book Panhandle Pilgrimage by Pauline and R.L. Robertson. For High Plains Public Radio, I’m Cheryl Berzanskis in Amarillo, Texas.
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High Plains History is a production of High Plains Public Radio.
