‘Recreation is the new mining’: Area businesses seek to harness power of Montana’s strong outdoor economy

Jim Davison spends some time on what he calls “product testing” at Smelter City Brewing, which opened in the historic Electric Light Building at 101 Main St. in Anaconda in 2017. And during his visits, the executive director of the Anaconda Local Development Corp., which works to bring new business to town, has noticed something.

“The people that are in there, they’re the skiers that are coming in,” Davison says. “You see the snowmobilers that have out-of-state or out-of-county plates. It’s new faces all the time. They’re recreating, and they’re stopping by there.”