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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.
