Episode 625: Albert Johnson: The Mad Trapper of Rat River

Dec 9, 2024

In the remote wilderness of Canada, Albert Johnson, known as the Mad Trapper, triggered a gripping manhunt after refusing to cooperate with the RCMP. Tensions escalated into a deadly confrontation as officers attempted to capture him in the harsh winter. The podcast delves into the chaotic firefight that claimed lives and raised questions about law enforcement tactics. Johnson's mysterious background and the enduring intrigue surrounding his actions add layers of suspense to this chilling tale of survival and evasion in the unforgiving landscape.

Ask episode

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 2min

Discount Offers and Exciting Book Club News

01:38 • 2min

Nostalgia and the Mad Trapper

03:58 • 10min

Winter Preparations and Holiday Reflections

13:34 • 6min

The Standoff with the Mad Trapper

19:11 • 13min

A Tense Confrontation: The Chase for a Fugitive

32:12 • 3min

The Mad Trapper's Final Stand

34:51 • 11min

Surviving the Wilderness: An Epic Escape Story

45:44 • 4min

The Pursuit of the Mad Trapper

49:14 • 13min

The Enigmatic Tale of the Mad Trapper

01:02:29 • 4min

In late 1931, several Native trappers in Aklavik, Northwest Territories, reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that a newly arrived white man, Albert Johnson, had been tampering with their traps. The RCMP dispatched two officers to Johnson’s remote cabin, but he refused to speak with them, so they left to get a warrant to search his home. When the officers returned and tried to gain entry, Johnson fired a shotgun blast through the cabin door, wounding one of the RCMP officers.

The incident quickly escalated when a posse of RCMP officers returned and tossed dynamite into the cabin, initiating a firefight in which one officer was killed, and a manhunt that would last more than month and unfold across more than 150 miles of some of the roughest terrain in the world.

In the end, Albert Johnson would not be taken alive. And while his death may have ended the wild pursuit across the Yukon territory, it was just the beginning of another mystery that would endure into the twenty-first century.

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Canadian Press. 1932. "Long chase of slayer." New York Times, February 18: 3.

Edmonton Journal. 1932. "Cornered by pursuers, wounded and fighting to last, Johnson slain." Edmonton Journal, February 18: 1.

—. 1932. "Think Mad Trapper hiding in Arctic wilderness cabin." Edmonton Journal, January 27: 1.

Journal, Edmonton. 1932. "Eyewittness tells story last desperate stand trapper Albert Johnson." Edmonston Journal, February 19: 1.

New York Times. 1932. "Mad, hunted trapper kills constable." New York Times, February 1: 38.

North, Dick. 2005. Mad Trapper of Rat River: A True Story Of Canada's Biggest Manhunt. New York, NY: Lyons Press.

Roden, Barbara. 2022. "The Mad Trapper part 3: Shootout on the Eagle River." North Thompson Times, December 8.

—. 2022. "The Mad Trapper part 5: The mystery of Albert Johnson endures to this day." North Thompson Times, December 22.

—. 2022. "The Mad Trapper part II: A tragic manhunt plays out." North Thompson Times, December 1.

—. 2022. "The Mad Trapper, Part I: a man of mystery arrives in the Arctic." North Thompson Times, November 24.

Thompson Reuters. 2021. "Scientists narrow search for mysterious Mad Trapper to Sweden." Comtex News Network, July 30.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.