Forget everything you thought you knew about saloons in the Old West. Archeological finds are proving the establishments were a vital part of society, known less as venues for shoot-em-ups and more as centers to conduct business.

The Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, located at 700 Twin Lakes Drive inside Lorenzi Park, has a new display attesting to that fact. The exhibit is called Havens in a Heartless World -- Virginia City Saloons and the Archeology of the Wild West. It features items from four excavated saloon sites in Virginia City, a Nevada town that was established due to the Comstock Lode.