Why did Europeans withdraw from the upper Yukon River basin after 1852?

Europeans withdrew from the upper Yukon River basin for two decades following the destruction of the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post at Fort Selkirk in 1852.1

The post, which had been established in 1848 by trader Robert Campbell to facilitate commerce with local First Nations groups, was burned down by hostile Indigenous people. This action was part of a broader resistance by local groups who were concerned that the arrival of nonnative traders would disrupt their established trade relationships with one another. Consequently, the company was forced to abandon its posts in the region due to these hostile actions.12