In 1858 Edward Wynkoop arrived in the frontier town of Denver City. He was twenty-two years old and soon became a town leader and Denver's first sheriff. During the American Civil War, he joined the Colorado Volunteers and played an important role in the Union victory at the Battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico.
After the Civil War, Wynkoop worked to see that the Plains Indians were treated fairly. He was a popular public figure until he spoke out in protest after the Sand Creek Massacre. His investigations into the actions of Colonel John Chivington's men at Sand Creek turned the public against him. Today he is a hero to Coloradans. Wynkoop Street in Denver is named for him.
Number Seventeen in the
Now You Know Bio
series.
Winner of the Spur Award from Western Writers of America.