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 showing car accident. Vehicle charged through 125 feet of brush after losing control off the Alcan Road to the Smeltersite, driven by Mrs. Grace Sheridan
Photo showing car accident. Vehicle charged through 125 feet of brush after losing control off the Alcan Road to the Smeltersite, driven by Mrs. Grace Sheridan
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
Photo depicts two men kneeling beside the first bags of mail to arrive via Pacific Western Airlines. On the right, Captain T. M. Kellough for PWA delivers the bags to on the left, Kitimat Express driver Lloyd Kaberg, at the wharf, Smeltersite. Northern Sentinel Press Collection
Photo depicts two men kneeling beside the first bags of mail to arrive via Pacific Western Airlines. On the right, Captain T. M. Kellough for PWA delivers the bags to on the left, Kitimat Express driver Lloyd Kaberg, at the wharf, Smeltersite. Northern Sentinel Press Collection
Photo showing First Licence Plate (1955). L/R Cyril Henderson, Kitimat's 1st Municipal Manager. 1955 was the first year that cars had to be licenced in Kitimat. 8 December 1955.
Photo showing First Licence Plate (1955). L/R Cyril Henderson, Kitimat's 1st Municipal Manager. 1955 was the first year that cars had to be licenced in Kitimat. 8 December 1955.
Photo showing "Jalopy" stays in Kitimat. Wally Melville buys Creed family's veteran automobile. In car: Wally Melville, wife Grace, daughter Aleta; Aubrey Creed and son Dio to the right.
Photo showing "Jalopy" stays in Kitimat. Wally Melville buys Creed family's veteran automobile. In car: Wally Melville, wife Grace, daughter Aleta; Aubrey Creed and son Dio to the right.
