Slide showing an airplane flying over the beach at smeltersite. Behind on the slope, the smeltersite bunkhouses are visible. Pipes can also be seen at the back of the beach area.
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 an airplane flying over the beach at smeltersite. Behind on the slope, the smeltersite bunkhouses are visible. Pipes can also be seen at the back of the beach area.
Photo depicts construction of two pan-abode waiting rooms on the beach at Smeltersite for Pacific Western Airlines. A "Mallard" amphibian airplane unloads on the landing ramp in the background.
Photo depicts construction of two pan-abode waiting rooms on the beach at Smeltersite for Pacific Western Airlines. A "Mallard" amphibian airplane unloads on the landing ramp in the background.
Notes
Pan-Abode is interlocking red cedar building materials invented in 1948 in British Columbia. The builders of Kitimat chose innovative materials such as Pan-Abode for the town. Pan-Abode was used in some of the first prototype homes on Kitimat's first streets - Oriole, Pintail, and Partridge. It is also an efficient building material as a structure can be assembled very quickly. Northern Sentinel Press Collection. P00226.jpg
In 2013, the Kitimat Museum and Archives worked with the District of Kitimat, and the Recreation Department, to select images commemorating 60 years of Community in the town of Kitimat. The display can physically be seen on display in the hallway of Riverlodge Recreation Centre.
In 2013, the Kitimat Museum and Archives worked with the District of Kitimat, and the Recreation Department, to select images commemorating 60 years of Community in the town of Kitimat. The display can physically be seen on display in the hallway of Riverlodge Recreation Centre.
Settling In: Highlighting 50 Years of Kitimat's History Exhibition, was shown at the Kitimat Museum and Archives in 2003. "To the youngsters, Kitimat presents a pleasing blend of modern, urban, recreational facilities in a wild-west, wilderness setting. To the adults, it offers physical grandeur, unexcelled hunting and fishing, neighbourliness, dependence, and the genuine friendships of a new community." Canadian Geographical Journal 1959 What makes a town? What makes Kitimat unique? In the final analysis, Kitimat citizens have made the community. This exhibition attempts to show the public face of Kitimat.
Settling In: Highlighting 50 Years of Kitimat's History Exhibition, was shown at the Kitimat Museum and Archives in 2003. "To the youngsters, Kitimat presents a pleasing blend of modern, urban, recreational facilities in a wild-west, wilderness setting. To the adults, it offers physical grandeur, unexcelled hunting and fishing, neighbourliness, dependence, and the genuine friendships of a new community." Canadian Geographical Journal 1959 What makes a town? What makes Kitimat unique? In the final analysis, Kitimat citizens have made the community. This exhibition attempts to show the public face of Kitimat.
