| Danford Balch | |
| Birth Date: | November 29, 1811 |
| Birth Place: | Colrain, Massachusetts, United States |
| Death Date: | October 17, 1859 |
| Death Place: | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Known For: | Murdering his son-in-law, Mortimer Stump |
| Occupation: | Settler, farmer |
| Spouse: | Mary Jane Balch |
| Children: | Anna 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 346acres 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. A family named Stump, with whom the Balches quarreled, settled a nearby claim.[5]
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.[6] 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.[6] 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.