It's pronounced that way because of the Native American history of our region. Way to be clueless! Bet you can't pronounce Clatsop or Willamette without a guide either.

@nestchick: And why the hell is that street north of Burnside pronounched "cooch?"

@nestchick: the question is why pronounce something spelled "oeg" as "oo-ee". Origins aside, that's a weird way to spell it. Hardly worth getting snarky over.

Interestingly, wikipedia says the original pronunciation was "sham poo' eg". So maybe the "ee" sound is itself a corruption of the native pronunciation. Now THAT'S worth getting snarky over. How dare they!

I'm impressed by how @nestchick can be an ass without a guide.

Most pronunciations round here don't make sense. NE Glisan may be pronounced "Gleesan", but the guy it's names after pronounced his own name as "Glisten"...

My theory has always been that Champoeg is a corruption of the Kalapuyan "apu i jik," their term for the false caraway plant. Early records from the provisional government from the 1840s list it as "Champooick." Some say Champoeg comes from the French "Campment du Sable, literally "camp of sand." Others say it's a mix of the French word "champ," which means field, and the Kalapuyan "pooich," or root. Still others attest that it comes from the Tualatin word "champoo," meaning weed.