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Albert Johnson, The Mad Trapper of Rat River, And Real Life Rambo
Nearly a century ago, a plucky but strange trapper in the Canadian wilderness held off authorities for weeks in the midst of a brutal winter
Despite the horrific and bad deeds they commit, criminals have long captivated society. Whether it is their blatant disregard for societal rules or the cunning and daring shown during their misdeeds, people find it hard to look away. It’s hard to imagine anyone captivating the world more than a mysterious man believed to be named Albert Johnson, who was alternately known as the Mad Trapper of Rat River. A century ago, he killed a law man and led authorities on such an improbable month-long chase through the harsh Canadian winter until he was killed that in some ways he resembled a real life Rambo.
Very little is known about Johnson, including if that was even his real name. It’s believed that he was likely born sometime between 1890–1900 and that he may have been Scandinavian or American. He appeared in the remote region of the Northwest Territories of Canada in the summer of 1931, traveling along the Mackenzie River, which at the time was largely unexplored and primarily traversed only by trappers and Indigenous peoples.
