1795Military
A Shawnee village was built in the area by war chief Blue Jacket after the 1795 Treaty of Greenville.
1812Military
The area later became the site of the Battle of Monguagon between Americans and a British-Indian coalition during the War of 1812.
1816Military
After the war, in 1816, Truax acquired a large tract of land in the Michigan Territory along the Detroit River from the U.S.
1827Government
When Territorial Governor Lewis Cass organized Monguagon Township in 1827, Truax became the first township supervisor.
1828Government
A post office had been established there named "Monguago" in 1828 with Truax as the first postmaster.
1834History
He laid out the village of Truaxton in 1834.
1837History
The post office name was changed to "Truago" in 1837, and to "Trenton" in 1847, after a type of limestone mined from a local quarry.
1846Military
In 1846, Captain Arthur Edwards founded the Detroit & Cleveland Steamboat Company in Trenton.
1850History
The village was platted and recorded under the name Trenton in 1850 by Abram Truax's son and daughter George Brigham Truax and Sophia Slocum, the wife of industrialist Giles Slo...
1855Government
Trenton was incorporated as a village in 1855 and again as a city in 1957.
1900Disaster
In 1900 the quarry was the site of the Sibley Quarry explosion.
1911Military
Painted center lines, an innovation vital to the traffic control of modern road transport, were first implemented in 1911 by legendary road developer Edward N.
1919Military
The battle is commemorated with a Michigan State Historical Site marker in present-day Elizabeth Park, which was the first county park in Michigan when it was established in 1919.
1920Infrastructure
In 1920 a small light railroad ran along West Jefferson to Wyandotte.
1924Architecture
=== Trenton Channel Power Plant ===
The Trenton Channel Power Plant, a coal-burning power station in Trenton, opened on the shoreline of Detroit River in 1924, on the south sid...
1929Government
Sibley, Michigan would not be incorporated into Trenton until 1929.
1934History
The rail services ended in 1934.
1937Education
Former elementary schools included Strohm School (1937-1980s), Owen School (1950s-2000s), Foley School (1950s-1980s), and Taylor School (1968-2000s).
1942Military
The tracks were removed in 1942 for the war effort.
1948Architecture
=== McLouth Steel Trenton Plant ===
In 1948, McLouth Steel purchased riverfront land along Jefferson Avenue to begin building its second complex.
1949Economy
Between the land purchase and the buildout, the project cost more than $100 million and by 1949, the first ingots were poured at the site.
1950Culture
In 1950, a second plant started up at the same site and adjoined the first plant.
1952Architecture
The north factory opened in 1952 and underwent major expansion in 1969.
1954Civil Rights
By 1954, the Trenton Plant was dedicated and McLouth became able to produce iron as an integrated steel mill.
1957Government
Trenton was incorporated as a city in 1957.
1961Military
=== Beaumont Hospital ===
Seaway Hospital, now called Beaumont Hospital, opened up on Fort Street in 1961 as a community hospital in Trenton.
1968History
Finally in 1968, Unit #9 was placed in service.
1979Education
=== Defunct school ===
Slocum Truax Junior High School was a former junior high school that resided in the present-day Slocum Truax Park in a neighborhood nearby downtown Trento...
1980History
Trenton Engine was the site chosen for production of the 2.2 L four-cylinder engine which debuted in 1980 in the K-cars.
1987Sports
The team folded during 1987-88 AAHL season after 14 games.
1996Economy
McLouth ultimately shuttered for good in 1996, and with it, the Trenton Plant.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,584 people, 8,137 households, and 5,590 families residing in the city.
2002History
In 2002, the facility was designated a corporate wildlife habitat by the Wildlife Habitat Council.
2004Military
Because of their efforts, the Trenton Channel Power Plant and Sibley Quarry were co-awarded the Wildlife Habitat Council's Corporate Habitat of the Year award in 2004.
2005Architecture
Adjacent is the Kennedy Outdoor Aquatic Center, a 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) pool and water park that opened in 2005.
2010History
== Demographics ==
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, there were 18,853 people, 7,988 households, and 5,159 families residing in the city.
2012History
Both tall stacks remain in service as of 2012.
2017Culture
The plant's many failed startup attempts led to Wayne County's 2017 foreclosure on the site, after owners failed to pay $3.7 million in back taxes.
2019History
The site was put on EPA's Superfund National Priorities List in May 2019.
2020Architecture
All buildings are scheduled to be demolished by December 2020.
2023Economy
The power plant is scheduled to close by 2023, because DTE Energy is planning to change to natural gas and renewable energy power plants.