Danford Balch

Danford Balch
BornNovember 29, 1811
Colrain, Massachusetts, United States
DiedOctober 17, 1859
Portland, Oregon, United States
Occupation(s)Settler, farmer
Known forMurdering his son-in-law, Mortimer Stump
SpouseMary Jane Balch
ChildrenAnna Balch Stump and eight others

Danford Balch (November 29, 1811 – October 17, 1859) (alternate spelling Danforth) was a mid-19th-century settler in what later became the Willamette Heights neighborhood of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1] He was born on November 29, 1811, in Colrain, Massachusetts,[2][3] but spent his early years in Onondaga County, New York.[4] In 1850, Balch moved west to Portland, and settled on a donation land claim of about 346 acres (140 ha) with his wife, Mary Jane, and nine children.[2][3] A commemorative stone at Northwest 30th Avenue and Upshur Street marks the spot of the Balch homesite.[5] A family named Stump, with whom the Balches quarreled, settled a nearby claim.[6]

Nine years later, Balch was convicted of murdering Mortimer Stump, who had eloped with and married Balch's oldest child, Anna, against her father's wishes.[2][3] In front of witnesses, Balch killed Stump with a shotgun as Mortimer and Anna boarded the Stark Street Ferry to cross the Willamette River.[5] While awaiting trial, Balch escaped to a hideout in the woods near his farm. Apprehended by James Lappeus, the city marshal, Balch was tried and convicted in August and hanged before a crowd of several hundred onlookers on October 17, 1859.[5] The hanging was the first legal one in the city.[3]

According to a news article citing Metsker's Atlas of Multnomah County, the Balch property ran from "Vaughn Street near then-named St. Helens Boulevard in the northwest corner, south of Cornell Road in the southwest corner, and directly east downhill to the vicinity of 22nd Avenue."[3] Balch's land included what later became Macleay Park (now part of Forest Park), through which runs Balch Creek.[7] Later United States Senator, and scandal plagued attorney, John H. Mitchell served as trustee of Balch's property and benefited financially from this role.

  1. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. ^ a b c Miller, Edward M. (February 8, 1928). "When Danford Balch Was Hanged". The Morning Oregonian. p. 11. Retrieved May 31, 2015 – via NewsBank.
  3. ^ a b c d e Swing, William (October 15, 1961). "Willamette Heights Pioneer Was Hanged as Murderer". The Sunday Oregonian. p. 43. Retrieved May 31, 2015 – via NewsBank.
  4. ^ "Danford Balch: Northwest Portland Country Boy - Central Portland". Archived from the original on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  5. ^ a b c Lansing, Jewel (2003). Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851–2001. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN 0-87071-559-3.
  6. ^ Parks and Recreation Department. "Macleay Park". City of Portland. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Houck, Michael C.; Cody, M. J., eds. (2000). Wild in the City: A Guide to Portland's Natural Areas. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 117. ISBN 0-87595-273-9.