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The Death of Albert Johnson: Mad Trapper of Rat River
Albert Johnson was a loner, a deadly shot, who in 1932 triggered a gruelling manhunt that has become an Arctic legend. For over six weeks, amid blizzards and numbing cold, he eluded a posse of trappers, First Nations and RCMP, who for the very first time used a two-way radio and an airplane in their search. Johnson was involved in four shoot-outs, killing one policeman and gravely wounding two other men before being shot to death. Over a half-century later, an intriguing mystery Who was Albert Johnson?
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 13, 2024
A great overview of a truly WILD story.
The end is a bit padded with recaps from other magazines and a history of Wop May but it was great added information so I appreciated it.
The end is a bit padded with recaps from other magazines and a history of Wop May but it was great added information so I appreciated it.
September 13, 2020
This isn’t really a story per se, but a mash up of several journalistic articles and remembrances of the manhunt for Albert Johnson (The Mad Trapper of Rat River) in Northern Yukon in 1932. It is quite short at less than 100 pages, but I think it’s essential reading for every Canadian!
It covers a bit about the early RCMP, a lot about the Northern Canadian manhunt using the RCMP, guides and trappers from the area and Wilfred “Wop” May.
I kind of learned about some of the background history in a backwards way.
My husband and I did a cemetery tour at Edmonton Municipal Cemetery a few years back and that was the first time I heard about Wop May and his “Mercy flights” with the diphtheria serum. For local history, you can’t beat a cemetery tour! I have also been to Edgar Millen Park in Edmonton. But had no idea who he was.
Then I get a chance to read this wonderful book on the Mad Trapper story and learn so much more about these 2 men.
For anyone that enjoys history, this is a must read. Not the best literature, but a damn fine story.
Highly recommend.
It covers a bit about the early RCMP, a lot about the Northern Canadian manhunt using the RCMP, guides and trappers from the area and Wilfred “Wop” May.
I kind of learned about some of the background history in a backwards way.
My husband and I did a cemetery tour at Edmonton Municipal Cemetery a few years back and that was the first time I heard about Wop May and his “Mercy flights” with the diphtheria serum. For local history, you can’t beat a cemetery tour! I have also been to Edgar Millen Park in Edmonton. But had no idea who he was.
Then I get a chance to read this wonderful book on the Mad Trapper story and learn so much more about these 2 men.
For anyone that enjoys history, this is a must read. Not the best literature, but a damn fine story.
Highly recommend.
May 28, 2025
My father in law picked this up for me years ago at a gas station in northern Alberta. I kept meaning to read it but it sat on a shelf. so silly! This was so interesting and such a cool little piece of history. I really liked it.
August 7, 2015
Didn't really know much about this before reading it.. I had seen a few other books about Albert Johnson around, and it had always peaked my interested but hadnt heard the story before. Mysteries that are unsolved always drive me insane! I would LOVE to know why he did what he did...who he was...where he came from... but I guess we will never know... One thing I do know is this guy was one tough son of a bitch.. holy cow...
Want to read
September 30, 2012This is a great piece of history and the fact that the photographs have survived is incredible. I hope someone continues the research on Albert Johnson.
November 6, 2024
Canadiana!
Brisk retelling of the RCMP manhunt for a lone trapper in the NWT and Yukon wilderness. Johnson, whose identity remains unclear, led a posse of Mounties, natives and trappers a merry dance through blizzard and tundra in the middle of winter, lasting six weeks, killing one, and wounding two of his pursuers who had the advantage of radio and a plane.
Bonus chapters at the end reprint an article on the Mad Trapper’s potential identity, an account by the pilot (and WWI flying ace) W.F. May, and a recapitulation of the story and of May’s career. Book is full of instructive photos, including two unsettling images of the dead trapper’s sneering, emaciated visage, radiant with defiance and malice.
Brisk retelling of the RCMP manhunt for a lone trapper in the NWT and Yukon wilderness. Johnson, whose identity remains unclear, led a posse of Mounties, natives and trappers a merry dance through blizzard and tundra in the middle of winter, lasting six weeks, killing one, and wounding two of his pursuers who had the advantage of radio and a plane.
Bonus chapters at the end reprint an article on the Mad Trapper’s potential identity, an account by the pilot (and WWI flying ace) W.F. May, and a recapitulation of the story and of May’s career. Book is full of instructive photos, including two unsettling images of the dead trapper’s sneering, emaciated visage, radiant with defiance and malice.
February 21, 2018
This is a short book that covers the events of the Mad Trapper of Rat River. According to the Amazon, it is 96 pages, but on GoodReads it says 56 pages. I read it on Kindle and it didn’t give page numbers, but I believe 96 pages is correct. The book also contains three magazine articles. One is a possible identity of Albert Johnson as a different man by the name of Arthur Nelson. The second is the personal account by Wilfrid ‘Wop’ May, the pilot of the airplane used to hunt Albert Johnson down and save the life of one of posse members shot by Johnson in the final battle. The third article is about Wilfrid ‘Wop’ May’s aviation career including his role in shooting the Red Baron in WW1.
March 12, 2018
A really easy read and actually very interesting. Theres quite a bit of pictures as well throughout those 90 ish pages (excluding the add pages at the back with other books from heritage house & of course the map and contents/publishers info pages).
Mad trapper was a deeply mysterious man. There are a lot of details in this book. I recommend it if you have a few free hours.
Mad trapper was a deeply mysterious man. There are a lot of details in this book. I recommend it if you have a few free hours.
January 14, 2024
A rather quick read, a mashup of stories beginning with a great tale of the chase of the mysterious Albert Johnson. Later delving into almost a biography of Wop May. Nothing too special about the book but a good read nonetheless.
June 4, 2020
Historic, factual and descriptive of life in the North.
September 13, 2021
The story is very interesting, but at times I found style of expression a little heavy, not really clear. I really liked the information about Capitan W. R. "Wop" May.
May 26, 2016
The Mounties always get their man! The manhunt for the mysterious and sinister personage called Albert Johnson in the cold Canadian North is chronicled in great detail in this book. The writing style is accessible and fairly easy to read through, and it's made suspenseful and intriguing. There are plenty of photographs of the people involved in the manhunt, and the anecdotal details provided by these people make the story more vivid.
However, I didn't really like how some parts of the article at the back of the book(written by W.R. May, a pilot who assisted in the search)had already been mentioned in the main text. I didn't like this repetition of facts, and it bored me a bit. Also, there were a lot of details about distances and times(throughout the whole book) that didn't interest me at all. Though it is interesting to note that there are three different(and apparently unrelated) people with the surname May mentioned in the book.
This is an interesting account of a true story, but not something I'd likely reread.
However, I didn't really like how some parts of the article at the back of the book(written by W.R. May, a pilot who assisted in the search)had already been mentioned in the main text. I didn't like this repetition of facts, and it bored me a bit. Also, there were a lot of details about distances and times(throughout the whole book) that didn't interest me at all. Though it is interesting to note that there are three different(and apparently unrelated) people with the surname May mentioned in the book.
This is an interesting account of a true story, but not something I'd likely reread.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews