The Mad Trapper: Unearthing a Mystery

by Barbara Smith

When Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, was gunned down in February 1932, he went to his death without anyone knowing who he really was. Most people believed the name "Albert Johnson" was an alias. He'd eluded a well-organized, well-equipped posse for seven weeks, surviving solely on wits and determination in the bitter cold of a Canadian Arctic winter. Some 75 years later, he was being pursued again, this time by a team of filmmakers and forensic scientists bent on determining his identity once and for all. In this age of DNA testing and leading-edge forensic techniques, would the decades-old mystery finally be solved?

Myth Merchant Films' Michael Jorgensen and Carrie Gour hoped so. Armed with a television production crew and a group of top forensic scientists, they headed to Aklavik, Northwest Territories. The team exhumed Johnson's body, examined the remains and harvested samples for further testing and DNA comparison with potential kin. The results were broadcast in a Discovery Channel documentary, Hunt for the Mad Trapper.

Author Barbara Smith was on hand to witness it all. In this book she takes readers to the isolated northern community of Aklavik, where the legend began, recounts the tale of the manhunt that mesmerized the world, describes the exhumation and subsequent scientific analyses and shares the astonishing information unearthed in Myth Merchant's investigation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mystery, True Crime, History

157 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2008

About the author

Barbara Smith is a Canadian author celebrated for her captivating collections of ghost stories steeped in folklore, history, and national identity. Since leaving her job as a school secretary in 1988, she has published numerous books exploring Canada’s most enduring supernatural legends. Her passion for the paranormal was sparked as a child in Toronto and grew into a lifelong pursuit, fueled by a background in social history and mystery. With titles like Great Canadian Ghost Stories and Great Canadian Campfire Stories, Smith shares eerie tales from coast to coast, entertaining readers while preserving Canada's rich storytelling tradition.

Reviews

[Karalee Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many Canadians of my generation, I grew up with the story of The Mad Trapper of Rat River as part of my family history. In my case, there is a connection, not to “Albert Johnson”, whoever he may have been, but to one of his pursuers.

Ms. Smith has described this story as “the ultimate cold case” only in reverse – we know whodunnit, but we know nothing about the man to whom it was done. In 2007 in preparation for a TV documentary, a team of forensic specialists and other skilled workers gained approval temporarily to disinter Johnson’s remains in an attempt to discover his identity and origins. The book reads rather like a Kathy Reichs novel, only without the dramatic story arc. Ms. Smith describes Johnson as the enigma who led authorities on an almost superhuman chase through some of the harshest conditions this planet can create for seven weeks in December / January / February 1931-32. She points out that, At the height of the Arctic manhunt, an estimated 30 men and 133 dogs were involved in the search. In this document, she sadly concludes that he has once again succeeded in eluding his pursuers.

The forensic information used to try to identify the man is very clearly explained, and is fascinating. Although so far no family connections have been discovered, the constantly improving technology and the physical samples recovered from the body may make it possible to solve the mystery in the future.

One detail about the exhumation brought back my past experience: …the Mad Trapper’s coffin lay directly beneath the spot where the searchers had been piling the dirt they had removed during their hours of fruitless digging. Any archaeologist (and presumably any paleontologist) could have told them that this is a universal truth. Any feature discovered in an excavation invariably extends directly towards and under the back-dirt pile.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Story: In late 1931, the hunt for Albert Johnson, also known as the Mad Trapper of Rat River, was the biggest manhunt in Canadian history. He was killed in a crossfire with RCMP and this ended the manhunt that lasted 49 days, covered 240 km (from Aklavik, Northwest Territories to Eagle River, Yukon) in the bitter cold Canadian winter with temperatures averaging -40C.

But who was Albert Johnson? Although the identity of this mysterious man was still unknown on the day he was buried, he was said to have superhuman ability, strength and endurance to be able to survive 49 days in the harsh winter.

In 2007, 75 years after the burial of the Mad Trapper, Michael Jorgensen and Myth Merchant Films made the decision to try to solve the mystery of the true identity of Albert Johnson (said to be an alias) through DNA testing. The results of this investigation was broadcasted in a Discovery Channel Documentary, called Arctic Manhunt: Hunt for the Mad Trapper.

My thoughts: This was one fascinating case and seriously I do not know how anyone can survive in that kind of freezing temperature!

Albeit a short book, there was a lot of information to unpack. I liked how it has three parts - the manhunt, the exhumation and investigation process, results and discovery. It was easy to understand and there are a lot of pictures which I appreciate so much! This book lean more towards the forensics investigation and I loved it!

This manhunt had set a precedent where the Canadian government now grant permission for an aircraft to be used in the pursuit of a criminal.

The saying, "the Mounties always get their man" originated from this manhunt.

There are still some unanswered questions left and some new discoveries about his identity. To me, it is sort of like an 'unsolved' solved case.

A good book to read if you want to learn more about this bizarre case!

[Bargle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about trying to identify The Mad Trapper. They failed at the time, but not because of lack of effort. With all the publicity about finally identifying the Original Night Stalker AKA the Golden State Killer someone has tried that method of finding the true name of Albert Johnson.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part about the actual events leading up to the Mad Trapper's death was engaging. Not much interested in the CSI stuff, especially with the cliffhanger ending. I NEED CLOSURE!