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 the smeltersite school viewed from the side. Some people can be seen out front. Powerlines visible up above.
Photograph of the Smeltersite School. Back of photograph reads: 'The large building is the school. The smaller ones are for the married couples living here.'
Photograph taken by Dave Geddes, Bank of Montreal, and given to Sylvia Anderson
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Smeltersite School. Back of photograph reads: 'The large building is the school. The smaller ones are for the married couples living here.'
Photograph of smeltersite looking east. Steel erection complete south half service buildings. Potline 2 floor slabs extend to line 13. Potline 1 footings extend to line 10 for potroom 1B and 1C. Pre-cast yard and storage area in left foreground.
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 smeltersite looking east. Steel erection complete south half service buildings. Potline 2 floor slabs extend to line 13. Potline 1 footings extend to line 10 for potroom 1B and 1C. Pre-cast yard and storage area in left foreground.
Photograph of smeltersite looking east. Foreground, perforated concrete pipe for ground water ditch. Middleground, pre-cast concrete yard with storage stacks at right. Structural steel partially complete in service buildings lines D to M. Footings for potline 2 at right. Trucks on road in foreground. Airplane in sky above.
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 smeltersite looking east. Foreground, perforated concrete pipe for ground water ditch. Middleground, pre-cast concrete yard with storage stacks at right. Structural steel partially complete in service buildings lines D to M. Footings for potline 2 at right. Trucks on road in foreground. Airplane in sky above.
Photograph of a man seated in front of a wooden lean-to containing old farm equipment - possibly Anderson Farm. On back: green manufacturer's stamp and three lines of writing in foreign language - possibly German
Photograph of a man seated in front of a wooden lean-to containing old farm equipment - possibly Anderson Farm. On back: green manufacturer's stamp and three lines of writing in foreign language - possibly German
Photograph of smeltersite viewed from Douglas Channel. View is looking at the side of smeltersite extending towards Moon Bay. The Smeltersite wharf is in the centre, and in front of it is a tugboat pulling a barge. To the right of the tugboat is the smeltersite panabode home.
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 smeltersite viewed from Douglas Channel. View is looking at the side of smeltersite extending towards Moon Bay. The Smeltersite wharf is in the centre, and in front of it is a tugboat pulling a barge. To the right of the tugboat is the smeltersite panabode home.
