For over a half-century, the Trentonian has been the voice of record for the former town of Trenton, Ontario and the current city of Quinte West and its surrounding communities.

Fraser, the Trentonian eventually absorbed the Trenton Courier Advocate (founded 1853) in the early 1960s to create a larger tri-weekly newspaper as a fresher alternative to the historical weeklies.

The paper's first editor-reporter-photographer, James M. Muir, recalled "We were ensconced in a vacated furniture store in downtown Trenton, deep in planning the most awkward newspaper operation with which I've ever been associated."

Despite these hardships, Muir said The Trentonian was readily welcomed by readers because it carried local news photos, something the Courier-Advocate had still not caught onto; he noted that the Trentonian's initial appeal may have been due to its more extensive coverage of the Royal Canadian Air Force base near town.

In the summer of 2001 the Trentonian, along with 29 other newspapers in Ontario, was purchased from Hollinger by Michael Sifton and Osprey Media Group Inc.