Danford Balch

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.