Slide showing an airplane flying over the beach at smeltersite. Behind on the slope, the smeltersite bunkhouses are visible. Pipes can also be seen at the back of the beach area.
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 an airplane flying over the beach at smeltersite. Behind on the slope, the smeltersite bunkhouses are visible. Pipes can also be seen at the back of the beach area.
Kitimat was the place to be in North America in the 1950s. The massive Alcan project in the northwest British Columbia was completed in just five years - dam, tunnel, powerhouse, Kemano, transmission line, smelter, and Kitimat. Browse through Kitimat history with these project images - a BC digital collection. The project was one of the most photographed and filmed construction jobs in BC history.
Kitimat was the place to be in North America in the 1950s. The massive Alcan project in the northwest British Columbia was completed in just five years - dam, tunnel, powerhouse, Kemano, transmission line, smelter, and Kitimat. Browse through Kitimat history with these project images - a BC digital collection. The project was one of the most photographed and filmed construction jobs in BC history.
Photo depicts two men kneeling beside the first bags of mail to arrive via Pacific Western Airlines. On the right, Captain T. M. Kellough for PWA delivers the bags to on the left, Kitimat Express driver Lloyd Kaberg, at the wharf, Smeltersite. Northern Sentinel Press Collection
Photo depicts two men kneeling beside the first bags of mail to arrive via Pacific Western Airlines. On the right, Captain T. M. Kellough for PWA delivers the bags to on the left, Kitimat Express driver Lloyd Kaberg, at the wharf, Smeltersite. Northern Sentinel Press Collection
In 2013, the Kitimat Museum and Archives worked with the District of Kitimat, and the Recreation Department, to select images commemorating 60 years of Community in the town of Kitimat. The display can physically be seen on display in the hallway of Riverlodge Recreation Centre.
In 2013, the Kitimat Museum and Archives worked with the District of Kitimat, and the Recreation Department, to select images commemorating 60 years of Community in the town of Kitimat. The display can physically be seen on display in the hallway of Riverlodge Recreation Centre.