James McNay was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on January 31, 1907. Between 1951 and 1953, he worked in the payroll department for Alcan. He had to leave his wife Effie and his two young daughters, Margaret and Diane, aged 6 and 5 in 1951, at home in Surrey, B.C., during his 3-4 month stints in Kitimat. To fill some of his free time and show his family where he was and what Kitimat was like, he spent many hours walking in the area with a 35mm Kodak camera. He photographed the scenic beauty of the area and parts of the construction of both the smelters and the town. He died in Surrey on August 7, 1983.
Custodial History
Donated by Margaret McNay. Images were taken by her father and sent to their family in Surrey in the 1950s.
Scope and Content
Slide showing two men standing in front of Anderson Creek falls. They are standing on a gravel shore in front of the falls basin.
Photograph showing Alcan's Manager of Power Operations, J.T. Madill sending A.W. Whitaker off as he and his wife become the first people to cover the entire Kitimat to Montreal distance by rail.
Photograph showing Alcan's Manager of Power Operations, J.T. Madill sending A.W. Whitaker off as he and his wife become the first people to cover the entire Kitimat to Montreal distance by rail.
