Trenton

By Guy Scott

Trenton was founded by United Empire Loyalists in the 1790s. The town started at the mouth of the Trent River, where it pours into the Bay of Quinte and thence Lake Ontario. The site was originally called Trent Port, which discloses its major role as a port on Lake Ontario. The Trent River watershed drains the Kawartha Lakes region, including the Gull and Burnt Rivers. The Trent River was not very navigable in its natural state; the first waterfalls being right in Trenton, less than a mile from the Bay of Quinte. The river was the realm of canoes and portaging until the Trent Canal was built. But the river was an excellent highway for loggers, and lumbering was the first industry of Trent Port.

One of the first improvements in the village was a ferry service over the Trent River. The Danforth Road, the earliest road link between Toronto and Kingston had to cross the Trent River somewhere, and Trent Port was as good as any place. The Danforth Road was replaced by the much-improved Kingston Road in 1817 (it later became Highway #2). But Trenton and its ferry service remained a bottleneck on this main corridor. A bridge across the Trent River was an obvious improvement, but one was not built until 1833. In that year a covered bridge 750 feet long and 32 feet wide spanned the river, plus another 40-foot section of swing bridge to allow boats to pass.

Covered bridges were rare in Ontario (though plentiful in the Maritimes), and the Trenton bridge was a bit of an oddity. It may have been the most important bridge in Ontario in the early 1800s as it was the key to the Kington Road. Originally light inside the covered roadway was provided by tallow candles. Later coal oil lamps were used and a strict “no smoking” policy was enforced. Constant repairs were needed as the spring ice flows were hard on the structure. The ferry service was still used on occasions when the bridge was rendered unsafe. Once a circus came to town, and the elephants refused to cross the bridge. They swam the river instead! (Smart elephants!) The gallant old bridge remained in service until 1916.

The Trent River was responsible for much of the town’s prosperity. The lumber industry in the Trent watershed really boomed after 1814, and all the wood had to come through Trenton. Most of the wood was in the form of squared timber, headed down the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City and on to Europe. Most saw longs were processed along the waterway. Needless to say, Trenton was the last stop for logs. Hence the town always contained several large sawmills.

The most famous of these was the Gilmour Brothers operation. The Gilmour company was a huge conglomerate that operated all over the Trent watershed and even beyond into Algonquin Park. Their operations into the park did not drain into the Trent system, so they devised a complicated operation to lift logs over the height of land near Dorset, down the Gull River to Cameron Lake, and on to Trenton. The elaborate and costly system sort of worked, but it took three years to reach their huge mill at Trenton. So many logs were lost, stolen or strayed by then, the operation was discontinued. To solve the issue, the Gilmour company rented a mill on the Muskoka system and used railways. But the fiasco bankrupted the company.

While Trenton was a port on Lake Ontario, vessels had to sail all the way down the Bay of Quinte to reach the lake: a rather long detour for west-bound traffic. The solution was to build the Murray Canal from Carrying Place on the Bay of Quinte to Presqu’ile Bay on Lake Ontario, a length of 5 miles. The canal followed an old aboriginal portage (hence Carrying Place). It greatly enhanced shipping for the port of Trenton. The Murray Canal is used today for recreational boats.

The Trent River is the boundary between Northumberland County and Hastings County. Trenton is located in both counties. In the 1800s, Trenton vied to become the county seat of Hastings County, but lost out to its eastern neighbour, Belleville. Belleville was a ‘port’ on the Moira River, a much smaller waterway than the mighty Trent. The Moira River ran dry in 2016. But geography won out and the more centrally located Belleville won the position. The border issues in Trenton have more recently been addressed by a county reorganization which removed Murray Township and the town of Trenton from Northumberland County and added them to Hastings County.

Trenton prospered over the years thanks to its port, the Trent Canal and the lumber industry. It developed an industrial base as well with many factories coming and going over the years. In 1915, with the First World War in full swing, the British Chemical Company built a huge munitions factory in the town to manufacture artillery shells and small arms ammunition (both in high demand at the time). The plant ran three shifts a day and employed up to 3,000 workers. On Thanksgiving Day 1918, a fire broke out at the complex. Fortunately, there was time to evacuate the workers before the first of 9 blasts rocked the plant and, believe it or not, nobody was killed in the maelstrom that followed. Tremors from the blast were felt as far away as Oshawa. Many residents fled the town and over 300 camped the night at a park outside of town. Few windows were left intact. Soldiers were sent from Belleville to keep order. A trainload of nurses was organized at Kingston, but were not needed.

The townspeople showed remarkable courage in the face of disaster. Eight residents were awarded the Order of the British Empire medals (highest awards for civilians) for courage under fire. They included the local telephone operator who stayed at her post through the disaster, dodging broken glass and the threat of death. Not all the brave Canadians were at the front.

Trenton also enjoyed a brief fling as a movie making centre. In the 1920s, the National Film Board had a studio in the town, and several movies were shot in Trenton. The film industry collapsed after the introduction of sound to films in 1928.

But as one industry failed, another sprang forth. In 1929, Trenton became a base for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Trenton was chosen (supposed) for its proximity to Lake Ontario, where seaplanes could land. But no doubt strings were pulled to bring the base to town. Canadian Forces Base Trenton continues to be the largest employer in the town to this very day.