Roanoke: the Lost Colony

Roanoke: The Lost Colony Roanoke was the first attempt at creating an English settlement in the New World. It began in 1587 when Sir Walter Raleigh gathered over 100 people to voyage to Roanoke Island on North Carolina’s coast. Three years later, all of Roanoke’s inhabitants were gone with barely any evidence that they even lived there. The only clues found were the letter â€Å"CRO† carved into the trunk of a tree. On the nearby palisades, John white found the word â€Å"CROATOAN† carved into the surface.I believe the colonists of Roanoke voyaged to the nearby island of Croatoan and were absorbed by the native tribes. White, finding the clues, then began trying to identify the fate of the villagers. Before leaving, he told the villagers to leave clues as to their location should they have to leave the colony. White knew of an island called Croatoan south of Roanoke. A storm forced White and his men back to England before he could search for his family.Ano ther clue as to where the colonists went is the fact that several of the natives in Croatoan describe their ancestors as white people. Later, there were natives found with gray eyes which were only found among these natives and no others. The natives also claim their ancestors came from â€Å"Roanoke in Virginia. † The Pembrokes, the natives of Croatoan, spoke pure Anglo-Saxon English and bore the last names of many of the lost colonists. The natives even had fair eyes, light hair, and Anglo bone structure.These clues all point to the colonists voyaging into Croatoan and making a settlement there. Apart from telling the colonists to leave Clues, White also told them to carve a Maltese cross above their destination. Because no cross was found at Roanoke, it leads me to believe the colonists had to leave in a hurry. There could have been a threat of invasion which gave the colonists little time to escape and leave clues to their whereabouts. The lost colony of Roanoke was aband oned and its inhabitants voyaged into the wilderness and joined local native tribes.