Over the last few years, I’ve had people tell me they’ve been to the Jail in Taos where the inside Jail Scenes were filmed in Easy Rider. The Outside scenes were filmed in Las Vegas NM, and its pretty hard to dispute.
The jail on the north side of Taos Plaza is not the same place from the movie. The bones are all wrong, the bars, the walls. Nothing matches up. I hate to ruin a good story the locals (and some local actor prick I won’t mention the name of) tell about the movie, but its not true. Ray Charles could see this.
This is the Jail in Taos Plaza — Check out the steel walls, and bars on the cells. You’ll see the difference:
These are the scenes from Easy Rider, where Billy and Wyatt met Jack Nicholson. They played Every fair in this part of the country, and for top dollar too :
I have one more place to Try. I need to get down to Taos and check it out. It’s either an old drunk tank that has been torn down, or it’s the older jail.
Another mystery to figger out on the bike. A cheap excuse to point the bike toward Taos. I love summer.
Update: 10/7/2016
I still keep getting emails explaining to me how this is the jail. Man, its not. It’s fun to say you want it to be, but its not. Lemme break it down. Watch the Jail scenes from the movie first:
the BIGGEST fundamental difference is the walls of the jail in the movie are made out of concrete. Check out how they were formed, with 6 inch cement forms — you can see the seams pretty clearly. The ones in the Jail downtown in Taos are steel.
So I ask you — why would you form a jail in concrete, then rip all that out to form it in steel? Anyone who knows anything about construction knows it’d just be easier to tear a building down and re-make it. Even then, steel isn’t a better answer to concrete. Concrete makes a pretty solid jail.
The 2nd thing is the riveted old steel bars. Why would you change one style, for a newer riveted style? They haven’t made riveted steel bars forever. Thats turn of the century shit. A small town like Taos after the turn of the century would have stayed with the bars they had.
Next, watch the video and check out the walls and how they line up. Compare that to how Taos lines up if you’ve been there.
It’s not the same Jail.
I’ve submitted evidence — If I’m wrong, please…. someone bring some evidence and correct me, because next time I go to Taos I’d love to see the real Jail thats in this movie clip.
I wonder if the jail in the movie really was in Taos at all…..
I always thought the jail was here: 157 Bridge Street, Las Vegas, New Mexico
It still is —- The outside scenes were filmed there, but the Inside Jail Scenes were filmed in Taos….
http://www.rozylowicz.com/retirement/las-vegas-nm…
scroll down to Hedgcock building.
Right — I know the building — it was in the movie and I\’ve been there a dozen times. I\’m talking about the inside scenes —
Mr. Zip66 who was the actor prick? Hope it wasn't Jack, Peter, or Dennis! LOL!! Just wondering. Stacy
hah, no…. Not anyone from the movie. Just a guy who talked like he was. I have a hard time with Actor Egos. He was in the netflix series longmire, but way on down the list. Pfffft…. actors.
Mr Zip, Jeff and his dog Natchez here. I think we might have been the ones to first find the plaque in Morganza where the cafe was torn down, and get on your site. We just went to both Taos and Las Vegas in search of the jail. May I offer one more theory? The remaining cell in Taos seems to be a one person cell, and that perhaps the "drunk tanks" were in the open area nest to the remaining cell,and were removed for space reasons. That one man cell left may have been left for historical reasons, and the answer as to why we can't see it anymore. I have inquired with the locals, but no one seems to remember…
Jeff and Natchez 1950 Panhead.
PS i have a funny rendition I did of George outside the jail relaese scene with a bottle of Jim Beam.
on the wall i saw that it said vadito nm, and a hispanic name, i looked it up their is a very small town in toas county by the name of vadito. oh ya the name lujan, if you rent the movie you can find the first name and see if the man mr lujan is still alive, his name will be remembered, as easy rider is a cult film
Thanks for the info, vadito isn't far from Taos so it makes sense!