 Location: The Richardson mountains are located west of the mouth of the Mackenzie River, and bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean.
Terrain: The Richardson mountains parallel the northernmost part of the boundary of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, northwestern Canada. Although some sources consider this to be part of the Canadian Rockies, the common northern limit of the Rockies is the Liard river, a long way south. They rise to an elevation of 4,067 feet (1,240 m).
History: The Richardson mountains were named after Sir John Richardson in 1825. He was the surgeon, naturalist, and Arctic explorer, a member of two of Franklin's overland expeditions. One of the most famous mountaineering stories involving the Richardson mountains was the 1930's story of the "Mad trapper of Rat River". The name of the so called "mad trapper" was Albert Johnson, an outdoorsman of incredible ability, who eluded a huge effort by the RCMP to bring him in.
Johnson arrived in Fort MacPherson, July 9th 1931. He outfitted himself then headed into the wilderness and built a trapping cabin. However he did not bother to obtain a trapping license.
In early December 1931 some of Albert's neighbours began having someone disrupt their traps. The only change from last season to this one - was Albert Johnson. On Dec. 31 Constable Alfred 'Buns' King and Special Constable Joe Bernard, each of whom had considerable northern experience, decided to call on Johnson to investigate. When they approached his cabin they noticed smoke billowing up from the chimney giving the impression that he was in the cabin. But Albert wasn’t in a talking mood. After numerous attempts to strike up a conversation in 40 below temperatures and getting nowhere with a man holed up with a gun, they decided to return to Aklavik to get reinforcements. They returned with 2 more Mounties plus one civilian. After the initial knock on the door and without, warning suddenly a shot rang out wounding...more
Click for Peak Lister |