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 opening to the Kitimat Yacht Club basin. Sailboats and the Alcan dock in the distance.
Photograph of an aerial view of the Alcan Smelter. Gearbulk ship is at dock and behind it on the right is the Kitimat Yacht Club. Other buildings and potlines extend further back. Dead trees and smog is visible running along the mountains in the background. Eurocan site also visible in background. Mountain tops have snow.
Belonged to Joe and Pat Goncalves. Photo possibly by Max Patzelt.
Scope and Content
Photograph of an aerial view of the Alcan Smelter. Gearbulk ship is at dock and behind it on the right is the Kitimat Yacht Club. Other buildings and potlines extend further back. Dead trees and smog is visible running along the mountains in the background. Eurocan site also visible in background. Mountain tops have snow.
Photograph of an aerial view of the Alcan Smelter. Gearbulk ship is at dock on the right and behind it is the Kitimat Yacht Club. Other buildings and potlines to the left and further back. Dead trees and smog is visible running along the mountains in the background. Eurocan site and sandhill also visible in background. Mountain tops have snow.
Belonged to Joe and Pat Goncalves. Photo possibly by Max Patzelt.
Scope and Content
Photograph of an aerial view of the Alcan Smelter. Gearbulk ship is at dock on the right and behind it is the Kitimat Yacht Club. Other buildings and potlines to the left and further back. Dead trees and smog is visible running along the mountains in the background. Eurocan site and sandhill also visible in background. Mountain tops have snow.
Photograph of an aerial view of the Alcan Smelter. Gearbulk ship is at dock on the right and behind it is the Kitimat Yacht Club. Other buildings and potlines to the left and further back. Dead trees and smog is visible running along the mountains in the background. Eurocan site and sandhill also visible in background. Mountain tops have snow.
Belonged to Joe and Pat Goncalves. Photo possibly by Max Patzelt.
Scope and Content
Photograph of an aerial view of the Alcan Smelter. Gearbulk ship is at dock on the right and behind it is the Kitimat Yacht Club. Other buildings and potlines to the left and further back. Dead trees and smog is visible running along the mountains in the background. Eurocan site and sandhill also visible in background. Mountain tops have snow.
Photograph of an aerial of the Alcan Smelter and area. Moon Bay area and surrounding service roads are in the front on the left. Estuary is on the right of the Smelter further back. Townsite is beyond that. View extends into mountain ranges of the valley. Sky is cloudy.
Photograph of an aerial of the Alcan Smelter and area. Moon Bay area and surrounding service roads are in the front on the left. Estuary is on the right of the Smelter further back. Townsite is beyond that. View extends into mountain ranges of the valley. Sky is cloudy.
Aerial photo of the Alcan aluminum smelter site, and the Douglas Channel. Taken from the north looking south. Note - bottom left corner is a portion of the Anderson Creek construction camp.
Aerial photo of the Alcan aluminum smelter site, and the Douglas Channel. Taken from the north looking south. Note - bottom left corner is a portion of the Anderson Creek construction camp.
Photograph of an aerial of the Alcan smelter wharf area. Wharf area is in the front, and vehicles are parked there. Alcan beach is further back. The smelter is in the background. Gold Max Patzelt embossment is on the bottom right corner.
Photograph of an aerial of the Alcan smelter wharf area. Wharf area is in the front, and vehicles are parked there. Alcan beach is further back. The smelter is in the background. Gold Max Patzelt embossment is on the bottom right corner.
Photograph of an aerial view of the Eurocan, Ocelot, and Alcan docks, as well as the Alcan plant. Kitimat River estuary visible on bottom right.
Notes
Back of photo has 2 dates, Jan 23 1985 and Jan 23 1986. The 1986 date is a sticker add on, while the 1985 date is stamped on. The 1985 date is believed to be correct.
