Peter Navarre

Not to be confused with Peter Navarro or Peter of Navarre (disambiguation).
Postcard depicting Navarre, based on a drawing from Henry Howe's History of Ohio (1888)

Peter Navarre (c. 1785–1874) was an early settler of the Maumee valley. He was said to be the grandson of a French army officer, who visited this section in 1745. Navarre was born at Detroit in about 1785, where his father before him was born. In 1807, with his brother Robert, he erected a cabin near the mouth of the Maumee River (east side), which continued to be his residence for the remainder of his life. Besides Canadian French he could speak the Pottawatomie dialect, and partially those of other tribes. He was skillful in woodcraft and Native American methods, while his bearing was ever that of a "born gentleman". For several years he was employed by a Detroit house in buying furs of the Miamis near Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he made the acquaintance and friendship of chief Little Turtle.