Willard S Stump


Box Name: Willard S Stump
Nearest Town: Portland, OR
County: Multnomah
Placed: 8-10-02
Placed By: Fudrick, with thanks to Funhog
Placed For: Oregon Gathering 8/10
Clues: Trivial
Trek: Easy


The original owner and settler in the land around Macleay Park was
Danford Balch. He carved out a space in the forest for a large cabin
in which to house himself, his wife, and their nine children. A
nearby donation land claim was taken by the Stump family. The two
families did not care for each other. In true Shakespearean fashion,
Mortimer Stump, the eldest son of the clan, began courting Anna, the
oldest of the Balch daughters. Danford Balch, a peaceful man, warned
Mortimer to stay away from his fifteen-year-old daughter, but
Mortimer paid no heed. When Anna turned sixteen, she and Mortimer
ran away to Vancouver, where they eloped. Two weeks later, Danford
Balch met members of the Stump family, including Mortimer, at the
Stark Street Ferry. They began arguing and Balch shot Mortimer with
his shotgun, killing him instantly. Balch later became the first man
to be legally hanged in Oregon. The creek that runs through Macleay
Park bears his name because for years after his hanging people still
referred to that area as "The Old Balch Place."

To The Trailhead: From downtown Portland head west on NW Lovejoy,
which turns into NW Cornell Road. The Audubon Nature House is about
mile beyond the second tunnel, on the right. Go about one block
further west, there is a parking area at the trailhead to Collins
Sanctuary.

Alternately, park at the Audubon Nature House and pick up a map,
located in a cupboard by the entrance to the Nature Store. It will
come in handy for the multitude of letterboxes in the area. Carefully
cross the road at the crosswalk. Walk about one block further west
to the trailhead at the Collins Sanctuary.

To The Letterbox: Head up the trail into the Collins Sanctuary
trailhead. When you reach the first trail intersection, go right.
At this junction begin counting the boardwalks. Duck under and step
over. After you've walked the planks for the third time, go eighteen
steps more. Willard S Stump is hiding to your right at the base of a
rotting stump.