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 logged area. Lots of tree stumps, and a pile of logs on the left. Standing forest in behind. Near smeltersite? Service Centre?
Alice Dicker's father, Benard, came to Canada to work in 1955. He was a forman D-shift for Alcan. He married Anna in 1959. Alice and her sister Claudia were born in Kitimat and the family lived here until 1969, at which time they returned to Germany.
Scope and Content
Photograph of a ship and tugboat at the Smeltersite Wharf. People and cars are visible on the wharf.
