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 rows of ceramic voltage insulators resting on wooden planks. For transmission line.
Coulter Electric thermometer inside a gold frame with a picture of a blue 1930 Dusenberg car. At the top there are two addresses for Coulter Electric LTD. one at Kitimat and the other at Terrace. At the top left there is a small thermostat.
Coulter Electric thermometer inside a gold frame with a picture of a blue 1930 Dusenberg car. At the top there are two addresses for Coulter Electric LTD. one at Kitimat and the other at Terrace. At the top left there is a small thermostat.
Coulter Electric thermometer inside a gold frame with a picture of a blue 1916 Stutz Bearcat car. At the bottom there are two addresses for Coulter Electric LTD., one at Kitimat and the other at Terrace. At the bottom left there is a small thermostat.
Coulter Electric thermometer inside a gold frame with a picture of a blue 1916 Stutz Bearcat car. At the bottom there are two addresses for Coulter Electric LTD., one at Kitimat and the other at Terrace. At the bottom left there is a small thermostat.
Physical Condition
Fair
Material
metal
glass
paper
Condition Remarks
Stains/smudges/scratches on glass front, front of photograph, and back. Small spots of rust all around the frame. Paper is yellowing.
Width
13 cm
Length
18 cm
Inscriptions
"1916 -- Stutz Bearcat. Compliments of COULTER ELECTRIC LIMITED."