I have spent some time in Silver Peak as both of my brothers lived there until recently. The old saloon, along with much of the town, was destroyed by a fire in 1948. Silver Peak today is essentially a company town since nearly all of the residents work at the lithium mine. There is one other business in town, the bar and grill. Everything else has to be purchased in Tonapah, 60 miles away

I was in a lot of saloons in a lot of strange countries as a teen Marine and in more saloons stateside as a young man. Now at the age of 70 I'll admit that I'd have a tough time passing a sign like that without stopping in for a cold one.

if zzyzx is correct, drinking must be a lot more popular than eating in Silver Peak.

Is the guy on the right heading out in a hurry to smoke a bowl/pipe? It looks like a pipe in his hand that he is emptying for a re-fill. If not, It must be a shadow? It certainly does not look like a pipe of the time period.

It looks to me like times were a lot simpler back in Silver Peak in 1940. If you're thirsty and want a cold one you go to the building with the sign that says Saloon. If you're hungry you go to the building with the sign that says Eat. Pretty self-explanatory.