Trenton, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario
in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario
, Canada
. Located on the Bay of Quinte
, it is the main population centre in Quinte West.
Trenton is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway
, which continues northwest to Peterborough
and eventually Port Severn on Georgian Bay
.
in England.
French explorer Samuel de Champlain
followed the Trent Severn passing through Trenton in 1615. The area around the mouth of the Trent River was first settled by Europeans in the 1780s. Assorted settlements and town plots in the area went under a number of names, until the Village of Trenton was incorporated in 1853. Trenton grew thanks to its port location and area lumber industry. During the First World War
, the town was home to a major munitions plant owned by the British Chemical Company. This facility was destroyed in a major explosion in 1918.
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. In 1923, the Trenton Film Plant was purchased by the Ontario government to house the studio and laboratory of the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau. 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.
, located on the east side of the town, is an important facility for Canadian Forces Air Command
's transport and search and rescue operations, and is Trenton's main employer. The base is currently being renovated to include a new air traffic control tower and parking for the new C-17 Globemaster III
aircraft deployed there.
Other large employers include Trenton Cold Storage, Norampac, Tyco Thermal
Controls, ElectroCables and DECA Cables.
Tourism also plays an important role in the economy, given Trenton's location as the southern entry point for the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Highway 401
crosses the Trent River on the north side of the town. Hastings County Road 2 (formerly Ontario Highway 2
) is the main east-west route through town leading towards Brighton
in the west and to Belleville
in the east.
Canadian Pacific
and Canadian National
main railway lines (Toronto – Ottawa
/Montreal
) pass through the city. Via Rail
offers limited passenger service 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 (Lock 1 and Lock 2) are located in the community.
Trenton also has local bussing transportation.
. Surrounding Trenton, there are numerous conservation areas, a state of the art YMCA, campsites, picnic grounds, and marinas. The area boasts nine golf courses, three ice hockey
rinks
, numerous soccer fields, bowling
, many kilometres of walking trails
, a dog park
, curling
rinks, baseball
diamonds, amongst many other recreational activities. Trenton also serves as a gateway to Prince Edward County
, located just to the south of the Bay of Quinte. This area is becoming increasingly well known for its many vineyards, excellent camping, beaches and boating.
Trenton is the site of the National Air Force Museum of Canada
. It features an original Canadian Halifax
Bomber, the 75th RCAF time capsule, a Lockheed CC-130E Hercules, and many other aircraft and exhibits.
Every summer CFB Trenton also is home to over one thousand Royal Canadian Air Cadets
who attend 2-week Familiarization Courses, 3-week Introductory Specialty Courses, and 6-week Advanced Specialty Courses, and has special staff positions for more senior cadets. These summer courses introduce the cadets to a military learning environment that promotes discipline, teamwork, and fun. Most camps here also go on 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 with major prizes for tagged fish and heaviest weighed walleye and Northern pike.
In 1990, Canadian poet Al Purdy
published his only novel A Splinter In The Heart. It takes place entirely in Trenton and provides a nice historical look of the town. It mentions many of the landmarks in the city (Mount Pelion, The Bridges, Trent River, etc.) and documents the period of the town directly before and after the huge munitions plant explosion of 1918.
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Located on the Bay of Quinte
Bay of Quinte
The Bay of Quinte is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
, it is the main population centre in Quinte West.
Trenton is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
, which continues northwest to Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
and eventually Port Severn on Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
.
History
The Trent River was known to the Mississauga as Sangichiwigewonk, or 'fast flowing.' It was named after the River TrentRiver Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
in England.
French explorer Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
followed the Trent Severn passing through Trenton in 1615. The area around the mouth of the Trent River was first settled by Europeans in the 1780s. Assorted settlements and town plots in the area went under a number of names, until the Village of Trenton was incorporated in 1853. Trenton grew thanks to its port location and area lumber industry. During the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the town was home to a major munitions plant owned by the British Chemical Company. This facility was destroyed in a major explosion in 1918.
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. In 1923, the Trenton Film Plant was purchased by the Ontario government to house the studio and laboratory of the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau. The advent of talkies
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
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
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
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
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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
Murray Township, Ontario
Murray Township was a township located on the north shore of Lake Ontario near the mouth of the Trent River in Upper Canada and later Ontario....
and Sidney to form Quinte West. Home to nearly half the population of Quinte West, Trenton is the largest community within the municipality.
Economy
Canadian Forces Base Trenton/8 WINGCFB Trenton
Canadian Forces Base Trenton , is a Canadian Forces base located northeast of Trenton, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is the hub for air transport operations in Canada and abroad...
, located on the east side of the town, is an important facility for Canadian Forces Air Command
Canadian Forces Air Command
The Royal Canadian Air Force , formerly Canadian Forces Air Command, is one of three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
's transport and search and rescue operations, and is Trenton's main employer. The base is currently being renovated to include a new air traffic control tower and parking for the new C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
aircraft deployed there.
Other large employers include Trenton Cold Storage, Norampac, Tyco Thermal
Tyco International
Tyco International Ltd. is a highly diversified global manufacturing company incorporated in Switzerland, with United States operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey...
Controls, ElectroCables and DECA Cables.
Tourism also plays an important role in the economy, given Trenton's location as the southern entry point for the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Transportation
Highway 401 (Ontario)
King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
crosses the Trent River on the north side of the town. Hastings County Road 2 (formerly Ontario Highway 2
Highway 2 (Ontario)
King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
) is the main east-west route through town leading towards Brighton
Brighton, Ontario
Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal....
in the west and to Belleville
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
in the east.
Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and Canadian National
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
main railway lines (Toronto – Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
/Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
) pass through the city. Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
offers limited passenger service to Trenton Junction station.
Trenton Airport is co-located with CFB Trenton
CFB Trenton
Canadian Forces Base Trenton , is a Canadian Forces base located northeast of Trenton, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is the hub for air transport operations in Canada and abroad...
on the east side of town.
Trenton is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
and two locks (Lock 1 and Lock 2) are located in the community.
Trenton also has local bussing transportation.
Climate
Recreation & Culture
Trenton is located on the Lake Ontario Waterfront TrailWaterfront Trail
The Waterfront Trail refers to an interconnected series of trails along the shores of Lake Ontario in Canada, currently beginning in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario and extending to Brockville, Ontario, with an extension along Former Highway 2, to the Quebec provincial border...
. Surrounding Trenton, there are numerous conservation areas, a state of the art YMCA, campsites, picnic grounds, and marinas. The area boasts nine golf courses, three ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
rinks
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
, numerous soccer fields, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, many kilometres of walking trails
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
, a dog park
Dog park
A dog park is a facility set aside for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners...
, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
rinks, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
diamonds, amongst many other recreational activities. Trenton also serves as a gateway to Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
, located just to the south of the Bay of Quinte. This area is becoming increasingly well known for its many vineyards, excellent camping, beaches and boating.
Trenton is the site of the National Air Force Museum of Canada
National Air Force Museum of Canada
The National Air Force Museum of Canada, formerly known as the RCAF Memorial Museum, is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force and is located on the west side of CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario....
. It features an original Canadian Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
Bomber, the 75th RCAF time capsule, a Lockheed CC-130E Hercules, and many other aircraft and exhibits.
Every summer CFB Trenton also is home to over one thousand Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a Canadian national youth program for persons aged 12 to 18. It is administered by the Canadian Forces and funded through the Department of National Defence with additional support from the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada...
who attend 2-week Familiarization Courses, 3-week Introductory Specialty Courses, and 6-week Advanced Specialty Courses, and has special staff positions for more senior cadets. These summer courses introduce the cadets to a military learning environment that promotes discipline, teamwork, and fun. Most camps here also go on 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 with major prizes for tagged fish and heaviest weighed walleye and Northern pike.
In 1990, Canadian poet Al Purdy
Al Purdy
Alfred Wellington Purdy, OC, O.Ont was one of the most popular and important Canadian poets of the 20th century. Purdy's writing career spanned more than fifty years. His works include over thirty books of poetry; a novel; two volumes of memoirs and four books of correspondence...
published his only novel A Splinter In The Heart. It takes place entirely in Trenton and provides a nice historical look of the town. It mentions many of the landmarks in the city (Mount Pelion, The Bridges, Trent River, etc.) and documents the period of the town directly before and after the huge munitions plant explosion of 1918.
Notable people
- Mel BridgmanMel BridgmanMelvin John Bridgman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1975–76 until 1988–89....
, former National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
player - George Ferguson, former professional hockey player for the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
- John Garrett, former National Hockey League goalie and hockey announcer.
- Steve GravesSteve GravesSteve Graves is a former professional ice hockey left wing. He spent his junior career with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL before being selected in the second round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, 41st overall, by the Edmonton Oilers...
, former National Hockey League hockey player - Elizabeth ManleyElizabeth ManleyElizabeth Ann Manley, CM is a Canadian figure skater. She is the 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1988 World silver medalist, and three-time Canadian champion.-Early life and training:...
, 1988 OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
figure skatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
silver medalist - Brenda MartinBrenda MartinBrenda Kim Martin, also known as Brenda Bletcher, as she was known to her childhood friends, is a Canadian citizen from Trenton, Ontario, whose arrest and conviction in Mexico was subject of much publicity in Canada. Martin began living in Mexico in 1998, working in the culinary industry,...
, a Canadian woman imprisoned in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - Adam SiouiAdam SiouiAdam Carter Sioui is a former Canadian college and international swimmer who is a butterfly and freestyle specialist. He was the Canadian national record holder in the 200-metre butterfly.- U.S...
, 2008 OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
swimmer - Steve Smith, former National Hockey League player
- Al PurdyAl PurdyAlfred Wellington Purdy, OC, O.Ont was one of the most popular and important Canadian poets of the 20th century. Purdy's writing career spanned more than fifty years. His works include over thirty books of poetry; a novel; two volumes of memoirs and four books of correspondence...
C.M.,O.Ont., one of Canada's most renowned writers (born 1918, died 2000).