Trenton, Ontario, a large unincorporated community in Central Ontario, is nestled within the municipality of Quinte West. With a population of 16,770 as of 2001, Trenton is located on the Bay of Quinte and serves as the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which extends northwest to Peterborough and Port Severn on Georgian Bay.
The Trenton area is steeped in history, being part of the traditional area of the Mississauga and other Indigenous First Nations. The first known expedition by Europeans in the area was led by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1615, who followed the Trent River, known to the Mississauga as Sangichiwigewonk, or 'fast flowing.' The settlers later named it 'Trent', after the River Trent in England.
European settlement in the area began in the 1780s, following the Crawford Purchase in 1783. United Empire Loyalists first settled in Trenton in 1792. Initially named Trent Port, it was later renamed Trent Town and eventually became Trenton. The Village of Trenton was incorporated in 1853, growing due to its port location and the area's thriving lumber industry.
During the First World War, Trenton was home to a major munitions plant owned by the British Chemical Company. An explosion levelled the plant three weeks before the Armistice, and remains of the old plant can still be found today.
Trenton was also an important film production centre. In 1917, a film studio was built in the town, and a number of productions were filmed there. The Trenton Film Plant was purchased by the Ontario government in 1923 to house the studio and laboratory of the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau. However, the advent of talkies and 16mm film made the equipment at the film plant obsolete, and the facility closed in 1934.
The construction of a RCAF Station Trenton, a major Royal Canadian Air Force base just east of Trenton, started in 1929 and continued through the 1930s. This provided a major economic boost to the area through the Great Depression, the Second World War and later.
Trenton was incorporated as a city in 1980. On January 1, 1998, Trenton was amalgamated with the Village of Frankford and the Townships of Murray and Sidney to form Quinte West. Home to nearly half the population of Quinte West, Trenton is the largest community within the municipality, and is one of Ontario's largest unincorporated settlements.
Highway 401 crosses the Trent River on the north side of the town. Hastings County Road 2 is the main east–west route through town, leading towards Brighton in the west and to Belleville in the east. The main north–south route is Hastings County Road 33, leading towards Picton to the south and Stirling to the north.
Canadian Pacific and Canadian National main railway lines pass through the city. Via Rail offers limited passenger service to and from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal via Kingston to Trenton Junction station. Trenton Airport is co-located with CFB Trenton on the east side of town.
Trenton is the starting point for the Trent–Severn Waterway and two locks are located in the community. Trenton also has a local public transit system, run by Quinte Access, and several private firms provide dispatched taxi services.
Trenton is located on the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail. Surrounding Trenton, there are numerous conservation areas, a YMCA, campsites, picnic grounds, and marinas. The area has nine golf courses, three ice hockey rinks, numerous soccer fields, bowling, many kilometres of walking trails, a dog park, curling rinks and baseball diamonds, amongst many other recreational activities. Trenton also serves as a gateway to Prince Edward County, south of the Bay of Quinte. This area is becoming increasingly well known for its vineyards, camping, beaches and boating.
The city is home to the Trenton Golden Hawks, a junior hockey team that plays in the OJHL. Trenton is the site of the National Air Force Museum of Canada, which features an original RAF Halifax Bomber, the 75th RCAF time capsule, a Lockheed CC-130E Hercules, and many other aircraft and exhibits. The museum is presently restoring an Avro Lancaster bomber.
Every summer, CFB Trenton is home to over one thousand Royal Canadian Air Cadets who attend various courses and trips to the airport, the Air Museum, and other relevant places.
Trenton is a hot spot for sport fishing. Popular freshwater fish in the Bay of Quinte and the Trent River include walleye (pickerel), bass, pike, perch, and mudcat. During particular times of the year, salmon and rainbow trout can be caught in the Trent River and in cold-water streams in the area. Each year in May, the Kiwanis Club of Trenton holds the Annual Live Release Fishing Derby, attracting thousands of sport fishermen from around North America.
In 1990, Canadian poet Al Purdy published his only novel A Splinter In The Heart, which takes place entirely in Trenton and provides a historical look at the town. It mentions many of the landmarks in the city and documents the period of the town directly before and after the huge munitions plant explosion of 1918. Trenton is also known for its great swimming, fishing and boating, and is recognized as the capital of walleye fishing.
