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 view of Hospital Beach from likely the Delta King. Buildings and boats visible.
Jamieson came to Kitimat from Vancouver to work on the Alcan project in 1952. With his first pay cheque he bought a small "Pony Kodak" camera at the local store (Hudson Bay?), and started taking coloured slides of the Kitimat from 1952-1953. Left Kitimat at the end of August 1953 to move to Montreal.
Photo showing barge beached near the mouth of Moore Creek after a bad storm during the night of 8-9 December, no damage was done to the scow or load of housing material for the townsite.
Photo showing barge beached near the mouth of Moore Creek after a bad storm during the night of 8-9 December, no damage was done to the scow or load of housing material for the townsite.
From the years 1953-1958, Mike Kinnear took photos during his school years, until graduation, while working for Fred Ryan Ltd. after school and holidays. Photos for him was a hobby, and he took many photos of the smelter and townsite as it grew around him. Mike also took a number of photos for the Kitimat Northern Sentinel, during the Ken Brumley and Pixie Meldrum years as editors. Mike and his family left Kitimat in 1958, but he spent the best part of 40 years in the photographic field, mainly in the retail/wholesale part of the photo industry.
Custodial History
Donated by Margaret and Mike Kinnear.
Scope and Content
Film of Mike Kinnear's trip to Kemano in January 1955. Black & white. Produced on a 8mm Cine-Kodak Kodachrome safety color film, daylight type.
Photograph of the Recreation Hall. Back of photo reads 'The Recreation Hall with part of the trailer camp to the left. Mount Bolton in the background."
Photograph taken by Dave Geddes, Bank of Montreal, and given to Sylvia Anderson
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Recreation Hall. Back of photo reads 'The Recreation Hall with part of the trailer camp to the left. Mount Bolton in the background."
Notes
It is possible that 'Mount Bolton' is 'Mount Elizabeth'.
Photograph of the Recreation Hall. Back of photograph reads: 'The Rec Hall & The Shoe Horn - shoe repair shop was the first private enterprise in Kitimat.'
Photograph taken by Dave Geddes, Bank of Montreal, and given to Sylvia Anderson
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Recreation Hall. Back of photograph reads: 'The Rec Hall & The Shoe Horn - shoe repair shop was the first private enterprise in Kitimat.'
