Roanoke: The Lost Colony

After Columbus's voyage and subsequent discovery of the New World there was much interest towards this new land and it was only a matter of time before attempts to colonize begun. England jumped on the colonization train in the late 16th century with their first attempt taking place in 1584.

This voyage was funded by Walter Raleigh, a famous explorer and the man who introduced tobacco to England. The voyage was lead by Richard Grenville and in 1585 the colonists arrived at Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina. They were ill-prepared for life here and relied heavily on the local natives for food and information. The colonists weren't prepared for relying on the natives either and constantly got into arguments, kidnapping and accusing them of crimes such as theft. After a few months, Grenville decided to return to England for more supplies and men. He left around 100 men to establish a colony and promised to return in April of 1586. He didn't return on time however and many of the colonists went back to England when Sir Francis Drake happened to pass by on his way back from the Caribbean.

The baptism of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World

A second voyage was planned to Roanoke, this time led by John White. This group of colonists was more diverse and included families instead of just men. They arrived in 1587 but found no sign of the previous colonists other than a skeleton. The colonists wanted to return to England but their fleet commander Simon Fernandez refused to let them aboard for unknown reasons. These colonists didn't fare any better than those who had come before them, and John White returned to England for supplies and people. He promised to return in one year but was unable to due to the Anglo-Spanish war. He ended up returning three years later. When he arrived, he found absolutely no sign of the colonists. The word "CROATOAN" was found carved in trees, indicating the settlers had moved to Croatoan Island. White was unable to investigate this due to a hurricane, and none of the colonists were ever heard from again.

Many theories exist as to what happened. One says the Spanish destroyed the colony, believing it to be a base for privateering. Some believe the colony was destroyed by natives. The most likely theory states that the colony was abandoned and the surviving colonists integrated themselves within local tribes. The real answer is still unknown, and the true fate of the Roanoke Colony may never be known. 

A painting of a fort, likely similar to the one built on Roanoke

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/science/the-roanoke-colonists-lost-and-found.html?_r=0

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/roanoke-colony-deserted