? The colony of Roanoke in North America was the first attempt by the British to establish a colony in North America. What happened to the colony is the oldest and most enduring mystery in American history.

Sir Walter Raleigh was granted a charter to colonize North America by Queen Elizabeth I on March 25, 1584. While Raleigh would not journey himself, he sent a series of expeditions to the eastern coast of North America in the 1580’s.

The final expedition of settlers left England in 1587 and was led by John White. They began to build a colony on the island of Roanoke and attempted to establish relations with the local native peoples. Croatans and other local tribes.

The settlers were uneasy about the relationship with the local native peoples and asked John White to return to England to seek help and supplies.

John White returned to England, leaving behind 115 settlers in the Roanoke colony. Included in this group was Virginia Dare, White’s granddaughter. She was the first English child to be born in the Americas.

After arriving in England, White tried to return to the colony of Roanoke with supplies, however, the war between England and Spain made crossing the Atlantic difficult. His return to Roanoke was delayed by 3 years.

White finally returned to Roanoke on August 18th, 1590. White could not find any sign of the settlers and found the colony abandoned. The only thing found was the word “Croatan” carved in a fence post that surrounded the colony and the word “Cro” carved into a nearby tree.

WHAT HAPPENED?

THEORY #1: THE SETTLERS LEFT This theory holds that the settlers of Roanoke built rafts or boats and left the island of Roanoke. One version of the theory is that the settlers tried to return to England but perished at sea in their attempt. A second version holds that the settlers resettled in the nearby Chesapeake Bay. Some historical reports suggest that the settlers may have been killed by native peoples after arriving in Chesapeake Bay.

THEORY #2: JOINED THE NATIVES This theory holds that the settlers of Roanoke simply joined and integrated with the local native tribes. It is unknown why the settlers would have joined the local native peoples. Perhaps the settlers were forced to, or they lacked supplies and had to in order to survive? The word “Croatan” which was carved into a fence post of the Roanoke Colony was also a name for a group of local natives.

THEORY #3: DISASTER This theory holds that the settlers of Roanoke were overcome by a powerful Atlantic storm, such as a hurricane. A powerful storm or hurricane may have wiped out the supplies of the colony and caused damage to the homes of the settlers. This could have caused the settlers to abandon the colony and seek refuge elsewhere.

THEORY #4: ATTACKED BY NATIVES This theory holds that the settlers of Roanoke were attacked and overrun by the local native peoples. A much smaller English colony was established on the island of Roanoke a few years earlier. When explorers revisited this earlier colony they only found one dead body and evidence of an attack by local native peoples. Many historians suggest that the later settlers of Roanoke may have met a similar fate.

THEORY #5: OVERRUN BY SPANISH This theory holds that the settlers of Roanoke were overrun by Spanish explorers and traders. Spain was a powerful European nation and was one of the main rivals with Britain for colonization of the Americas. Spanish explorers may have encountered the colony and destroyed it in an attempt to thwart English progress on the continent.