Photograph showing a large row of men using many buckets of water to put out a bushfire. An old model of fire engine can be seen off in the background, with many fallen and burnt trees.
Photograph showing a large row of men using many buckets of water to put out a bushfire. An old model of fire engine can be seen off in the background, with many fallen and burnt trees.
Slide showing the firehall at smeltersite. Firetruck is visible in the center, and to its left is a target on a tree. To the left is also a building and other equipment. Behind, there are other buildings and powerlines, with the forest even further back.
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 firehall at smeltersite. Firetruck is visible in the center, and to its left is a target on a tree. To the left is also a building and other equipment. Behind, there are other buildings and powerlines, with the forest even further back.
