Danford Balch (November 29, 1811 – October 17, 1859) (alternate spelling ''Danforth'') was a mid-19th-century

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

in what later became the Willamette Heights neighborhood of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He was born on November 29, 1811, in

Colrain, Massachusetts Colrain is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,606 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts. History Colrain was first settled in 1735 as "Boston Township No. ...

, but spent his early years in

Onondaga County, New York Onondaga County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse, New York, Syracuse. The county i ...

. In 1850, Balch moved west to Portland, and settled on a donation land claim of about with his wife, Mary Jane, and nine children. A commemorative stone at Northwest 30th Avenue and Upshur Street marks the spot of the Balch homesite. Mortimer Stump, a 26 year old man, had been hired to work on the Balch property. His family's property was in the area of St. Johns on the east side of the Willamette River. Nine years later, Balch was convicted of murdering Mortimer Stump, who had

eloped Elopement is a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, sometimes involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married without parental approval. A ...

with and married Balch's oldest child, Anna (15), against her father's wishes. In front of witnesses, Balch killed Stump with a shotgun as Mortimer and Anna boarded the Stark Street Ferry to cross the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

. While awaiting trial, Balch and three others 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. The hanging was the first legal one in the city. 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 Cornell Road is an east–west street and traffic corridor in the Portland metropolitan area, in Multnomah County, Multnomah and Washington County, Oregon, Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It crosses the Tualatin Mountains (West ...

in the southwest corner, and directly east downhill to the vicinity of 22nd Avenue." Balch's land included what later became Macleay Park (now part of

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China * Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fore ...

), through which runs

Balch Creek Balch Creek is a tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at the crest of the Tualatin Mountains (West Hills), the creek flows generally east down a canyon along Northwest Cornell Road in unincorporated Multnomah ...

. Later United States Senator, and scandal plagued attorney,

John H. Mitchell John Hipple Mitchell (born John Mitchell Hipple; June 23, 1835December 8, 1905) was an American lawyer, politician. He served as a United States Republican Party, Republican United States Senate, United States Senator from Oregon on three occasi ...

served as trustee of Balch's property and benefited financially from this role.

References

External links

*
Probate lawsuit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balch, Danford Oregon pioneers Criminals from Portland, Oregon People from Onondaga County, New York 1811 births 1859 deaths 19th-century executions of American people People from Colrain, Massachusetts