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The Mad Trapper: The Incredible Tale of a Famous Canadian Manhunt
This is the incredible story of Canada's largest manhunt. Hundreds of men spent 7 weeks tracking the elusive Albert Johnson for 240 kilometres across the frozen North. He was eventually caught and killed but the identity of Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, remains a mystery to this day.
- GenresNonfictionCanada
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 13, 2024
The Mad Trapper by Helena Katz is the incredible story of Canada's largest manhunt. Hundreds of men spent 7 weeks tracking the elusive Albert Johnson for 240 kilometres across the frozen North. He was eventually caught and killed but the identity of Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, remains a mystery.
3 stars
3 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2026
3.5 stars
Hearing little tidbits over the years about The Mad Trapper had me grabbing this book, or rather rescuing it from a thrift shop when I saw it. The Mad Trapper tells the true story of Canada's largest manhunt, whether that title still stands I am not sure.
The manhunt itself is extraordinary. Hundreds of men tracking one person across 240 kilometres of frozen northern wilderness... in the middle of blizzard conditions... by dogsled. That means carrying all supplies not just for themselves but food for the dogs as well. I got the sense of how in tune the searchers were with their environment - reading the weather, knowing when storms were coming, following tracks in the snow. And then there is the added element of an airplane being brought in, which feels almost out of place alongside the dogsleds.
As for Albert Johnson himself, I had no sympathy for him, he was out for himself and showed no regard for human life. But I was genuinely impressed by his cunning. He outmaneuvered hundreds of men for seven weeks, I got the sense he had real experience and knowledge of the land. As for who he actually was, they have their suspicions, but without the forensic means available today, his true identity remains unconfirmed. And honestly that intrigues me more than it frustrates me. Some of history's mysteries stay a mystery.
The Mad Trapper is a story of community, danger and determination. It is about survival and tragedy, and it is a piece of Canadian history that deserves to be known. At just over 130 pages, it is a quick read. I recommend it to anyone curious about Canadian history and the incredible things people were capable of long before the modern world made everything somewhat easier.
This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, #17.
Hearing little tidbits over the years about The Mad Trapper had me grabbing this book, or rather rescuing it from a thrift shop when I saw it. The Mad Trapper tells the true story of Canada's largest manhunt, whether that title still stands I am not sure.
The manhunt itself is extraordinary. Hundreds of men tracking one person across 240 kilometres of frozen northern wilderness... in the middle of blizzard conditions... by dogsled. That means carrying all supplies not just for themselves but food for the dogs as well. I got the sense of how in tune the searchers were with their environment - reading the weather, knowing when storms were coming, following tracks in the snow. And then there is the added element of an airplane being brought in, which feels almost out of place alongside the dogsleds.
As for Albert Johnson himself, I had no sympathy for him, he was out for himself and showed no regard for human life. But I was genuinely impressed by his cunning. He outmaneuvered hundreds of men for seven weeks, I got the sense he had real experience and knowledge of the land. As for who he actually was, they have their suspicions, but without the forensic means available today, his true identity remains unconfirmed. And honestly that intrigues me more than it frustrates me. Some of history's mysteries stay a mystery.
The Mad Trapper is a story of community, danger and determination. It is about survival and tragedy, and it is a piece of Canadian history that deserves to be known. At just over 130 pages, it is a quick read. I recommend it to anyone curious about Canadian history and the incredible things people were capable of long before the modern world made everything somewhat easier.
This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, #17.
October 29, 2019
A very easy and interesting read. As a Canadian, the winters in the story were relatable which gave a new understanding to the treaterous conditions Johnson and the RCMP endured. It was very interesting to be put into the mindset of the 1930's and how slow moving things were because of the lack of technology (radios, planes, ect.). I would reccomend this book to anyone of any age, a wonderfully interesting story!
September 10, 2018
Very easy read, which I like for biographies. I found the detail very impressive given how remote the chase was and given how little is known about the man. There was even some information in here I had not known previously, which I was impressed by given how little information there is in general and I have watched and read quite a few things on this case.
June 25, 2026
Jeg er helt utkjørt bare etter å ha hørt om hvor lang tid det tar dem å fly rundt og hvor kaldt det er. Jeg kjøpte ved et uhell denne i stedet for romanen av Rudy Wiebe, som jeg ble anbefalt i 2015, men den var interessant likevel.
February 24, 2020
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April 11, 2023
Short and exciting historical tale. I listened to the audiobook. It was great.
June 13, 2026
Interesting story but not my favorite.
Well written but was mostly told as history more than a novel.
Well written but was mostly told as history more than a novel.
November 21, 2015
3 1/2 stars ... I started out with 4 then realized this one isn't of the calibre of other 4-stars I've read so I'm landing on 3 in the interest of trying to be judicious with my stars. The writing style is very simplistic and a bit random but this one really captured me. It's our December book club choice - we read CanLit and it was time for something quick and easy after a couple of heavy choices. And it pleasantly surprised me ... it was a LOT more interesting than I expected. A quick, captivating read ... this would make a good 8th grade text book - social studies/history or English.
It was interesting to think of media reporting at the time of the Trapper as compared to now ... radio only worked intermittently, so the posse could only communicate to Aklavik once/day; info would then have been broadcast to the world by radio or newspaper which meant next day reporting at best ... Compared to our experience of instant info. Interesting factoid: sales of radios during the depression increased because of the manhunt. How vulnerable were those men in the cold and without any way to communicate with base.
It's inconceivable to me how they were out on the land tracking him for as long as they did at those temps & weather conditions. Weather conditions and environment meant no tracks to follow ... I cannot imagine trying to determine where to start looking in the bush. Johnson covered 240 km traversing the Richardson Mountains at temps averaging -38C for 5 weeks ... he was 145 lbs when he died, snowshoes were 10 lbs each, pack was 150 lb. He was one tough man.
Some details in the book are a little random, but I found them super interesting. For example, one of the FN trackers threw away his gun after Johnson was killed - didn't want to eat meat shot with a gun that may have killed a man.
The skill of pilot Wop May is astounding - to be able to fly in those conditions and with the kind of aircraft available to them day after day without modern technology is astounding. The description of him bringing back the injured Hersey through the mountains is hair raising.
What wasn't there: any mention of him wearing his snowshoes backwards to throw off the posse. My dad always talks about that when the story of the Mad Trapper comes into conversation ... was this just left out of this version? Or urban myth about a mythological figure?
Theories on who Johnson was? He had so much money with him (over $2000 on his body when he died), and came from God knows where ... was he running from the law elsewhere? Was he mentally ill? (Seems to fit the profile of paranoid schizophrenic to me ...) Why would he have sprung the traps of the local trappers and put them in trees (the event that sparked the interest in him in the first place), when he didn't have pelts in the cabin? Maybe it wasn't him who did it? And just who was he? A true Canadian mystery that will in all likelihood never be solved.
It was interesting to think of media reporting at the time of the Trapper as compared to now ... radio only worked intermittently, so the posse could only communicate to Aklavik once/day; info would then have been broadcast to the world by radio or newspaper which meant next day reporting at best ... Compared to our experience of instant info. Interesting factoid: sales of radios during the depression increased because of the manhunt. How vulnerable were those men in the cold and without any way to communicate with base.
It's inconceivable to me how they were out on the land tracking him for as long as they did at those temps & weather conditions. Weather conditions and environment meant no tracks to follow ... I cannot imagine trying to determine where to start looking in the bush. Johnson covered 240 km traversing the Richardson Mountains at temps averaging -38C for 5 weeks ... he was 145 lbs when he died, snowshoes were 10 lbs each, pack was 150 lb. He was one tough man.
Some details in the book are a little random, but I found them super interesting. For example, one of the FN trackers threw away his gun after Johnson was killed - didn't want to eat meat shot with a gun that may have killed a man.
The skill of pilot Wop May is astounding - to be able to fly in those conditions and with the kind of aircraft available to them day after day without modern technology is astounding. The description of him bringing back the injured Hersey through the mountains is hair raising.
What wasn't there: any mention of him wearing his snowshoes backwards to throw off the posse. My dad always talks about that when the story of the Mad Trapper comes into conversation ... was this just left out of this version? Or urban myth about a mythological figure?
Theories on who Johnson was? He had so much money with him (over $2000 on his body when he died), and came from God knows where ... was he running from the law elsewhere? Was he mentally ill? (Seems to fit the profile of paranoid schizophrenic to me ...) Why would he have sprung the traps of the local trappers and put them in trees (the event that sparked the interest in him in the first place), when he didn't have pelts in the cabin? Maybe it wasn't him who did it? And just who was he? A true Canadian mystery that will in all likelihood never be solved.
January 22, 2010
Very interesting story.
Canada Outdoors, suspense, incredible survival, early Mountie tactics.
Canada Outdoors, suspense, incredible survival, early Mountie tactics.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews