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The former Outlaw Saloon — once billed as the biggest bar in Wyoming — is headed for a new life as a community hub on Cheyenne’s south side.
On Monday morning, the Maury and Bonnie Brown Foundation bought the property at a foreclosure sheriff’s auction for $1.65 million, with plans to turn it into the Maury and Bonnie Brown South Side Community Center.
The auction was held at the Laramie County Courthouse after the property went into foreclosure over more than $1.7 million in unpaid debt tied to a commercial real estate loan from Citizens Bank.
Only one person actually placed a bid: Laurie Talich, co-owner of Town and Country Supermarket Liquors, just down the road from the Outlaw. She bid on behalf of her parents’ foundation.
- Starting bid: $1,642,600;
- Final bid: $1,650,000.
Around five other people signed up to bid but never raised a paddle.
The foundation already owns land adjacent to the Outlaw Saloon property, and the two parcels will be combined for the new center.
According to a foundation statement and a note Talich shared at the auction, the goal is to build a state-of-the-art community center serving toddlers through seniors — a place for learning, recreation and social connection on the south side.
A Facebook post from Town and Country Supermarket Liquors said development will begin immediately, led by a newly formed board of community members who, it said, “share a deep belief in the future of Cheyenne and a passion for helping others.”
The Outlaw Saloon, located at 312 South Greeley Highway, had operated for nearly 25 years. It was known for big crowds, live indoor and outdoor concerts, and its reputation as the largest bar in the state.
The business changed hands in 2019, when Curtis Crowton and his company Bullseye Operations LLC took over.
- R2KBA Management LLC owns the real estate;
- Bullseye Operations LLC owns the business;
- Crowton owns both entities.
According to a foreclosure notice filed Oct. 30, R2KBA and Bullseye took out a commercial real estate loan in June 2023 secured by parts of Tract 14 in the Allison Tracts subdivision northeast of Cheyenne.
They defaulted on the loan, leaving $1,735,795.83 owed to Citizens Bank — including about $1.56 million in principal, nearly $109,000 in interest, plus late fees, bank-placed insurance, appraisal costs and attorney fees.
The Outlaw closed over the weekend ahead of the auction.
The community center project is deeply tied to the legacy of Maurice “Maury” Brown, the foundation’s namesake, who died Oct. 30, 2023, along with his wife, Bonnie.
Brown was a well-known Cheyenne businessman and philanthropist:
- Former owner of Town and Country Supermarket Liquors and Maurice Brown Exploration;
- 2013 Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year;
- 2016 Wyoming Tribune Eagle Community Spirit Award recipient;
- 2017 inductee into the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame.
He was also a major supporter of local nonprofits, including the Cheyenne Family YMCA, Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne, Cheyenne Animal Shelter and the University of Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium. As recently as September 2024, the foundation donated funds to upgrade and maintain the YMCA pool.
Dale Steenbergen, president and CEO of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, said the new center is exactly the kind of project Brown would have loved.
“I think it is a wonderful opportunity for a place that is largely underserved for that kind of facility,” Steenbergen said. “It’s an amazing opportunity for the community.”
For now, there’s no public timeline on when construction will start or when the community center will open — but one thing is clear: the south side’s biggest bar is about to become one of its biggest community investments.
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