So, how do you pronounce Wynkoop?
Itās a never-ending debate amongst the denizens of Denver: Is Wynkoop pronounced āwin-koopā or āwine-koopā?
While we were inspecting this illustration of Denver from 1889, we noticed something we thought might settle the debate. Wynkoop Street is labeled āWinkoop.ā
Before consulting an expert, we thought weād put the question to Twitter.Ā
It turns out youāre all wrong. Or youāre all right. Itās probably a little bit of both. Everybody is wins and loses in this crazy life.
The correct pronunciation depends on whether youāre referring to the street or the brewery, says Shannon Schaefer, outreach and tour coordinator for Historic Denver.
āIt is āwine-koopā street and itās āwin-koopā brewery,ā she said. āThe pronunciation of Wynkoop [Street] is the actual personās name that the street was named after.ā
So, that old map is misleading. Ā
Schaefer said that one of Historic Denverās volunteers spoke with Gov. Hickenlooper, who said the pronunciation was changed for his brewery so it wouldnāt have the word āwineā in it. They specialize in beer, you see.
The street is named for General Edward W. Wynkoop, who came to the Colorado mining settlements after being appointed sheriff of Arapaho County in the mid-1800s, according to the National Parks Service. During the Civil War, he was an ally to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, and two years after the Sand Creek Massacre, President Andrew Johnson appointed him as a special agent to the two tribes. You can read more about him from the NPS here.
Now, go forth to Wynkoop Brewing Co. and start correcting people. Theyāll thank you, we swear.