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.
Photo showing view looking north across Alumina Storage Building 504, forms being prepared for upper portion of east wall and dragline completing deep excavation at north end of building.
Photo showing view looking north across Alumina Storage Building 504, forms being prepared for upper portion of east wall and dragline completing deep excavation at north end of building.
Photo showing steel transformers and other machinery in storage yard during winter with construction offices on site incluidng storage buildings and potrooms.
Photo showing steel transformers and other machinery in storage yard during winter with construction offices on site incluidng storage buildings and potrooms.
First alumina boat to discharge alumina for Alcan Smelter in Kitimat - arrived from Port Esquivel, Jamaica, in July 1954. Ship was named S.S. "Sun Karen".
First alumina boat to discharge alumina for Alcan Smelter in Kitimat - arrived from Port Esquivel, Jamaica, in July 1954. Ship was named S.S. "Sun Karen".
