County Jail, Old

This structure was built about 1850 of adobe bricks (sun-dried mud and reeds) and cottonwood logs around steel cell blocks. It served as official county jail 1850-66 and 1868-73, when San Elizario was the first and then third El Paso county seat. It housed both jail ("carcel" in Spanish) and courtroom ("juzgado"). According to legend, William Bonney, famed outlaw Billy the Kid, freed the only man ever to escape from this jail, his cohort Melquiades Seguro. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1970

County Jail, Old is a historical marker in San Elizario, El Paso County, dedicated in 1962. It is one of 94 historical markers documented in El Paso County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 140 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.5859, -106.2744 near San Elizario. The nearest cataloged historic site is Los Portales (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Salt War, San Elizario, and Salt War.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5141003715. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.