Trenton is a city in Southern Ontario, in the municipality of Quinte West.
Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which continues northwest to Peterborough and eventually Port Severn on Georgian Bay.
Located at the mouth of the River Trent and the Head of the Bay of Quinte, this area was first visited by Samuel de Champlain in 1615.
The Trent River was named after the River Trent in England.
Trenton serves as a terminus on the Trent-Severn waterway, a canal system which reaches Peterborough.
The area around the mouth of the Trent River was first settled by Europeans in the 1780s.
The city was called first Trent Port, then Trentown, and finally Trenton.
The Village of Trenton was incorporated in 1853.
A city with vast natural advantages and immense possibilities for future development.
Trenton grew because of its port location, RCAF, and the area lumber industry.
The construction of a RCAF Station Trenton, a major Royal Canadian Air Force base just east of Trenton was started in 1929, and remains a major employer and Canada's largest air force base.
For a considerable time, the town about 170 km east of Toronto was the motion picture-making capital of Canada as Trenton's Film Plant studio churned out more than 1,500 silent films from 1917 to 1934, employing locals in jobs from extras to crews.
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.
The amalgamation created a unique community offering a blend between urban and rural lifestyles. The City thrived in the years following, establishing itself as a sought after destination offering a vibrant outdoor natural environment for agricultural and recreational pursuits combined with endless retail and entertainment opportunities.
In May 2010, Quinte West formally welcomed Toronto-based Metro Paper Industries Tissue Group set up a manufacturing facility of converted paper products at Quinte West. Earlier, this facility was operated by Pepsi Quaker Oats which was subsequently shut down.
Quinte West is also home to Nestle Canada Inc., Electro Cables Inc., Globamed Inc., Canadian Blast Freezers, Trenton Cold Storage Group, Deca Cables Inc., Domtech Inc., Drossbach North America, Fracan Ltd., L3 Communications Spar Aerospace Ltd., L3 Communications- CMRO, Norampac Inc., Quality Custom Blending, Research Casting International, Saputo Foods, and Quinn & Quinn Inc., just to name a few.
Many of the families living in Quinte West today can trace their families back to the United Empire Loyalists. The Quinte Bay area was considered desirable for settlement as early as 1773 when the Governor General of the Canadian Colonies, Sir Guy Carleton, asked Governor Haldimand of Quebec to inquire if the Mississauga Indians would make a treaty to sell the land.
Notable People
- Marc Tessier-Lavigne, neuroscientist, the 11th and current president of Stanford University.
- Roy Bonisteel, journalist and the former host of the CBC Television program Man Alive.
- Mel Bridgman, former National Hockey League player.
- William Bleasdell Cameron (1862-1951), survivor of the Frog Lake Massacre, author, journalist.
- Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief, Vanity Fair.
- Henry Comstock, after whom Nevada's was named.
- George Ferguson, former professional hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- John Garrett, former National Hockey League goalie and hockey announcer.
- Howard Graham, Commander of the Canadian Army (1955-1958).
- Steve Graves, former National Hockey League hockey player.
- Jayna Hefford, member of Canada's gold medal women's hockey team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
- Elizabeth Manley, 1988 figure skating silver medalist.
- Brenda Martin, a Mexico.
- Al Purdy, C.M., O.Ont., one of Canada's most renowned writers (1918-2000).
- Adam Sioui, 2008 swimmer.
- Steve Smith, former National Hockey League player.
- Peter Wintonick, documentary filmmaker.
© Copyright 2001- All Rights Reserved
