Trinity’s story began in 1867, the year of Canadian confederation, when Bishop Benjamin Cronyn sent the Rev. Thomas S. Campbell to serve the Anglicans settling near Colpoy’s Bay. Services were first held in a log hall shared with other denominations until it was lost to fire. A new frame church with a belfry was soon built, where Rev. Campbell’s wife played the harmonium alongside their son, William Wilfred Campbell, who would go on to become a celebrated poet and priest.

By the 1870s, ministry extended beyond Wiarton to nearby communities like Purple Valley, Hepworth, Bass Lake, and Wolseley—all reached by horse and buggy. In 1890, the growing congregation built a new stone church under the guidance of master stonemason Edward Kyte. It was largely a volunteer effort, completed at a cost of $5,000. During this time, Rev. William Henderson introduced the envelope system of giving and founded one of Canada’s first Anglican Young People’s Associations (A.Y.P.A.).