Slide showing cleared out area at smeltersite for smelter construction. Equipment working in distance. On the left, a bit of a potline framework 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 cleared out area at smeltersite for smelter construction. Equipment working in distance. On the left, a bit of a potline framework 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 cleared out area at smeltersite. Raised mound towards the middle with vehicle tracks. Douglas Channel visible in distance.
Slide showing cleared area at smeltersite for smelter construction. Equipment and cranes are visible working. In the distance are building structures, and in the foreground are powerlines. On the bottom left a person can be seen walking.
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 cleared area at smeltersite for smelter construction. Equipment and cranes are visible working. In the distance are building structures, and in the foreground are powerlines. On the bottom left a person can be seen walking.
Photograph of view looking north-west showing local shops and excavation of surcharge from the site of potlining mix plant bldg. 244. Some vehicles and machinery outside. Smeltersite homes in background.
Bud Powell is a longtime resident of Kitimat and former smeltersite resident. He worked for Alcan.
Custodial History
Donated by Bud Powell.
Scope and Content
Photograph of view looking north-west showing local shops and excavation of surcharge from the site of potlining mix plant bldg. 244. Some vehicles and machinery outside. Smeltersite homes in background.
Photograph of service building area looking southeast transformer repair pit slab in foreground. Structural steel being placed in forge dshop and warehouse prior to erection. Crane visible working. Douglas Channel in background.
Bud Powell is a longtime resident of Kitimat and former smeltersite resident. He worked for Alcan.
Custodial History
Donated by Bud Powell.
Scope and Content
Photograph of service building area looking southeast transformer repair pit slab in foreground. Structural steel being placed in forge dshop and warehouse prior to erection. Crane visible working. Douglas Channel in background.
Photograph of looking west, smeltersite service building area, showing compaction roller operating. Truck in centre. Building visible on hill in background.
Bud Powell is a longtime resident of Kitimat and former smeltersite resident. He worked for Alcan.
Custodial History
Donated by Bud Powell.
Scope and Content
Photograph of looking west, smeltersite service building area, showing compaction roller operating. Truck in centre. Building visible on hill in background.
Photograph of possibly line 1 potline left where carbon paste plant is today. Recreational facilities + a bit of the hill on the right where the homes were. Also, water tower.
Photograph of possibly line 1 potline left where carbon paste plant is today. Recreational facilities + a bit of the hill on the right where the homes were. Also, water tower.
Photograph of the smeltersite wharf area. In the foreground on the left is a raised area with a boat, man, and other objects. Behind there are water towers, and smeltersite homes. There is also a white boat visible on the water in the middle. Forest and mountain in background.
From the years 1953-1958, Mike Kinnear took photos during his school years, until graduation, while working for Fred Ryan Ltd. after school and holidays. Photos for him was a hobby, and he took many photos of the smelter and townsite as it grew around him. Mike also took a number of photos for the Kitimat Northern Sentinel, during the Ken Brumley and Pixie Meldrum years as editors. Mike and his family left Kitimat in 1958, but he spent the best part of 40 years in the photographic field, mainly in the retail/wholesale part of the photo industry.
Custodial History
Donated by Margaret and Mike Kinnear.
Scope and Content
Photograph of the smeltersite wharf area. In the foreground on the left is a raised area with a boat, man, and other objects. Behind there are water towers, and smeltersite homes. There is also a white boat visible on the water in the middle. Forest and mountain in background.
