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 construction of a building form. Base is concrete, and there are rows of poles and wood buidling up the framework.
Slide showing construction of a building form. Poles and wood form the start of a framework. Towards the back a group of mostly shritless men are working on it. Two cement trucks are on site, with one pouring. In the background the built framework for the potlines is visible.
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 construction of a building form. Poles and wood form the start of a framework. Towards the back a group of mostly shritless men are working on it. Two cement trucks are on site, with one pouring. In the background the built framework for the potlines is visible.
Slide showing construction of metal framework at smeltersite. Crane is lifting the frame, and people are standing below. Concrete footings? are around them. Rock wall with piles of trees and debris on the top is behind.
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 construction of metal framework at smeltersite. Crane is lifting the frame, and people are standing below. Concrete footings? are around them. Rock wall with piles of trees and debris on the top is behind.
Slide showing construction of some sort of structure at smeltersite. It is on a concrete base, and the right side has some sort of wheel structure. A wood beam on top conects the wheel to the larger, square structrure on the left. Other parts and a man working are in the centre.
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 construction of some sort of structure at smeltersite. It is on a concrete base, and the right side has some sort of wheel structure. A wood beam on top conects the wheel to the larger, square structrure on the left. Other parts and a man working are in the centre.
1. Photograph of driving the last spike in the Kitimat/Terrace Railway, 8 Jul 1955. (formerly 982.46.20a, Tirrul-Jones Collection)
2. Photograph of Sikorsky Helicopter crossing a mile-deep gorge with cargo.
3. Two photographs of the Kenney Dam.
4. Photograph of green space beside town housing, Partridge Street.
5. Photograph of Tony, Josephine and Vincent Heslenfeld's Panabode home on Pintail Street.
6. Photograph of Kemano showing aerial tramway and railroad slash.
7. Photograph of Kemano Powerhouse construction.
3 photograph prints : colour ; 25cm x 20.5cm
3 photograph prints : b&w ; 25cm x 20.5cm
1 photograph print : b&w ; 25.5cm x 17.5cm
1 photograph print : b&w ; 17.5cm x 12.5cm
History / Biographical
Purchased from the National Geographic Society Magazine for exhibition use.
Scope and Content
1. Photograph of driving the last spike in the Kitimat/Terrace Railway, 8 Jul 1955. (formerly 982.46.20a, Tirrul-Jones Collection)
2. Photograph of Sikorsky Helicopter crossing a mile-deep gorge with cargo.
3. Two photographs of the Kenney Dam.
4. Photograph of green space beside town housing, Partridge Street.
5. Photograph of Tony, Josephine and Vincent Heslenfeld's Panabode home on Pintail Street.
6. Photograph of Kemano showing aerial tramway and railroad slash.
7. Photograph of Kemano Powerhouse construction.
