It's been a long and historic run for Deadwood's Old Style Saloon No. 10 but it looks like the times could be changing.

Change, that was the concern anyway when the Keehn family announced Wednesday they'd be selling the saloon after 45 years of family ownership.

"It fits Deadwood," said George Milos, executive director of the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. "The Saloon No.10 is as much a part of Deadwood as Wild Bill, Calamity Jane and any of the other history of Deadwood."

Old Deadwood … Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, poker and prostitutes. Deadwood's 'Old West' look and feel changed dramatically with the introduction of gambling to the small town. While gambling infused the community with a new life, that new life came largely at the expense of the old look.

Today Deadwood is a new frontier - gambling machines, red carpets and chandeliers.

We hope whoever decides to make the $10.5 million investment in the Old Style, realizes the historic significance the saloon serves and maintain its Old West look and feel.

The possibility for change has many folks in Deadwood concerned. The historic city has already seen its fair share of change over the years. The change guaranteed the survival of the city, but it didn't erase fond memories of the old west, historic town it was.

The Old Style bucked the trend, or the owners simply decided not to be part of the change. As gambling machines and glitz moved in around it, at the Old Style sawdust stayed on the floor, skulls and old time photos stayed on the walls and dead animals didn't get moved from their perches. You just don't find that kind of character in Deadwood anymore.

The downtown Deadwood landmark is a prized gem in South Dakota. Let's hope it stays that way.

We'll certainly hand it to the Keehns for maintaining the historic integrity of the business for four and a half decades but we can only imagine the energy it takes to keep up that pace. Pace won't change for the new owners but the business model might. As we watched other historic buildings in Deadwood become more modern (and some would argue less appealing), we might see the same happen at the Old Style.

The Old Style is more than a saloon, it's a attraction, almost a piece of living history right in our own backyard. For decades it has been a draw to tourists and locals alike who find some comfort in its unique style and Old West charm. We hope we can say the same 45 years from now.