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.
Smelter Site Looking East. Foreground, perforated Concrete Pipe for Ground Master Ditch. Middleground, Pre-cast Concrete Yard with Storage Stacks at right. Structural Steel partially complete in Service Buildings Lines D to M. Footings for Pot Line 2 at right.
Smelter Site Looking East. Foreground, perforated Concrete Pipe for Ground Master Ditch. Middleground, Pre-cast Concrete Yard with Storage Stacks at right. Structural Steel partially complete in Service Buildings Lines D to M. Footings for Pot Line 2 at right.
Photograph of town site, Alcan ; buildings in a line from the left to the middle ; a telephone or electricity line crossing over the picture ; landscape in background.
Photographs taken by Gordon Lee donated to the museum by his daughter Michelle Simeoni.
Scope and Content
Photograph of town site, Alcan ; buildings in a line from the left to the middle ; a telephone or electricity line crossing over the picture ; landscape in background.
Photo showing view looking toward site of Pernament Wharf from south dike of graving dock, dredge and dragon line excavating channel from graving dock to deep water, truck dumping gravel for foundation blanket into bottom dump scow.
Photo showing view looking toward site of Pernament Wharf from south dike of graving dock, dredge and dragon line excavating channel from graving dock to deep water, truck dumping gravel for foundation blanket into bottom dump scow.
Photo showing view looking north east at east caisson, inner bulkhead being lifted into place near south end of caisson and trusses being fabricated in front of caisson at far end.
Photo showing view looking north east at east caisson, inner bulkhead being lifted into place near south end of caisson and trusses being fabricated in front of caisson at far end.
