Article

Trenton (Ont)

Published Online November 15, 2009

Last Edited March 4, 2015

The first settlers arrived at the mouth of the Trent River in the 1790s. Known as the gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway, the site was called first Trent Port, then Trentown, and finally Trenton. The beneficiary of canal development, the area had a prominent lumber industry.

Trenton (Ont)

 Trenton, Ont, Unincorporated Place. Trenton was incorporated as a village in 1853, a town on 1 July 1880 and a city on 1 July 1980. On 1 January 1998 it became a part of the new city of QUINTE WEST.

The first settlers arrived at the mouth of the Trent River in the 1790s. Known as the gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway, the site was called first Trent Port, then Trentown, and finally Trenton. The beneficiary of canal development, the area had a prominent lumber industry. The largest sawmill was owned by the Gilmour Company. This plant, after many years of prosperity, burned to the ground in 1910. During World War I the major industry was the munitions plant of the British Chemical Company, which was levelled by explosions in 1918. An attempt was made to turn the town into a film production centre in the 1920s, but only a handful of films were ever produced. Trenton was chosen as the centre for the Royal Canadian Air Force and functioned in World War II as a training base for Commonwealth pilots.

TRENTON CANADIAN FORCES BASE remains an integral part of the economy. There is also a range of light manufacturing.