History knows many cases of mysterious disappearances of people, but so numerous and strange, as happened with the colony on Roanoke Island (The Roanoke Colony, also known as the "Lost Colony" or Lost Colony), no longer occurs. More than four hundred years ago, more than a hundred people disappeared there absolutely without a trace. Many have tried to explain this secret, but so far to no avail.
First colonists
For the first time, Roanoke Island became of interest to English colonists in 1584. Queen Elizabeth I of England decided to hold a company, the purpose of which was to develop new territories in North America. Sir Walter Raleigh was entrusted with this matter. The decree of Elizabeth I specified that Walter has 10 years to establish a colony in North America, otherwise he would lose his right to colonize. Walter and Elizabeth I organized this venture, realizing that it would open the way for them to the riches of the New World, and the new colony would serve as a naval base for attacks on the fleet and American colonies of Spain.
Sir Walter Raleigh (1554 - 1618)
Sir Walter Reilly, a distinguished English nobleman, at the personal request of the Queen, made an attempt to found such a colony. In 1584 Sir Walter sent an expedition to Roanoke Island to explore the site. The first colonial expedition consisted entirely of men. Many of them were veteran soldiers who fought in the war to establish English influence in Ireland. The expedition included two Indians - Manteo and Vanchez. Their presence was required as trackers and diplomats able to find common ground with the local population. And the leader of the settlers, Sir Richard Grenville, was ordered to further explore the area and return to England to report on the success of the operation.
Walter Reilly made his way to the east coast of America and established a colony he called Virginia (from the English "virgin", which translates as "virgin") in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, who is known to be a virgin. Virginia's territory stretched from present-day Pennsylvania to the Carolina. Roanoke Island was located close to the mainland, washed by a bay and seemed quite suitable for life, as well as a very profitable fortification capable of withstanding the Spaniards and pirates.
Roanoke Island on an old English map
Promotional video:
After getting to know the area, a positive report was sent to the queen, and already on April 9, 1585, the first colonists, totaling 108 people, were sent there.
Everything went well at first. The local population greeted them quite good-naturedly, and when the harsh winters came, the Indians even helped them, teaching them how to make dams and fish. But the British turned out to be ungrateful, and when a silver goblet disappeared from one boat, Sir Richard Grenville burned an Indian village along with their leader, at the same time destroying the crops of corn. After that, the good-natured population turned into enemies of the colonialists.
The British turned the good-natured local population into their enemies
Despite this incident and food shortages (the supply boat crashed on the reefs), Granville decided to entrust Ralph Lane with the establishment of an English colony on the northern tip of Roanoke Island, promising to bring in large men and fresh materials in April 1586.
By April 1586, Lane had organized an expedition to explore the Roanoke River and possibly search for the legendary "fountain of youth." However, relations with neighboring tribes were so damaged that the Indians attacked the expedition led by Lane. In response, the colonists attacked the central Aboriginal village, where they killed their leader Vinjin.
After what happened, the British constantly had to be on the alert, expecting an attack. In the end, after living on the island for winter and spring, the settlers decided to return to England. An opportunity soon arose: the famous English pirate Francis Drake made an unexpected stop on Roanoke Island in June 1586, returning from raids on the Spanish colonies in the New World. He agreed to take people on his ships and bring them to England. Thus, in June 1586, almost all of the colonists left Roanoke Island.
Just a few weeks after the departure of the first colonists, a new group of 15 brave men landed on Roanoke Island to maintain the English presence and Walter Reilly's rights to colonize Virginia. The newly minted colonists were given supplies, and Sir Richard Grenville ordered to hold positions until reinforcements from England arrived, after which his ship departed.
The first 15 people disappeared without a trace
A year later, another group of settlers was sent to the island to organize a camp on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. On April 26, 1587, three ships, carrying 117 future settlers, including women and children, sailed from Portsmouth.
The group of settlers was led by John White, who had already been to the island as part of a previous expedition. On the new expedition, John was appointed governor of the colony and was tasked with re-establishing the colony on the shores of the bay. Among the passengers was White's daughter Eleanor. She was married to a man named Ananais Dare and was expecting a child.
On July 22, 1587, the ships approached Roanoke Island. John White was going to pick up the colonists left there a year ago. Fearing pirate attacks, the sailors refused to sail directly into the bay and landed the group at the site of the old settlement. But the island met them with silence. To the surprise of the colonists who arrived, out of 15 people who had lived there for a year, they found only one. Or rather, his remains. The fortifications were destroyed and the houses were overgrown with ivy.
Roanoke Isle settler found dead
Representatives of the local Croatan tribe, who lived on modern Hutter Island and are still friendly to the British, reported that the colonists were attacked, but 9 of them survived and sailed to their coast in a boat.
It seemed like a bad sign, but nevertheless, new colonists landed on the island. Here they were to spend their entire lives, so from now on this unfamiliar island and foreign country were to become their new homeland. It was decided to build a new fort in a new place - in the depths of the island.
New fortified British fort in the interior of the island
On July 19, 1587, 27 days after the colonists disembarked, a girl named Virginia Dare was born on the island. She was the granddaughter of John White and the first English child born on American soil. She can be considered the first American citizen.
Birth of Virginia Dare
Having settled in a new place, the settlers quickly realized that in order to survive on the island in winter, much more things and supplies are needed than they brought with them. We needed tools to build houses, more weapons and gunpowder to defend ourselves, food to survive the winter, and other equally vital things. At the end of July it was already too late to sow and grow something, because a month later autumn began, and then a harsh winter was on its way. There was no hope for the help of the Indians: they left the island, frightened and offended by the behavior of the British, who had arrived earlier.
Then John White decided to sail off to England in order to bring everything necessary and continue the development of the colony. Perhaps he had no other choice. He left one of the three ships to the settlers with the intention of moving in groups north to the Chesapeake Bay, leaving only 25 men in Roanoke, so that when White returned, they would show him the way to a new settlement.
Since the attacks of the Indians on the colony were carried out periodically, John agreed that in case of emergency, those who remained could go to another place, but at the same time it was necessary to leave a sign in a conspicuous place telling exactly where they went. If they were in danger or had to leave the island to escape, then in addition, under the name of the new place of the colony, they had to carve a cross.
After that, John White left the island, promising to return and bring everything he needed in six to eight months. He sailed to England, and the settlers remained to live in a new place. Probably, they often went to the shore and looked into the distance: did the silhouettes of ships appear on the horizon? After all, John White promised to return in six months!
117 people disappeared into thin air
On August 17, 1590, almost three years after the English ships left Roanoke, John White returned. The ships anchored off the island separating the Albemarle Sound from the Atlantic Ocean, and two boats immediately rushed to the shore.
But as if an evil fate met people: the very first boat was overturned by a surf wave, and the captain with six sailors drowned. John White decided not to pay attention to such omens - he had no doubt that the colonists were waiting for him on the island. However, upon reaching Roanoke, John found that there was no one there.
The island was deserted. Only things, jewelry and tools remained. 117 people, including the little granddaughter of John White, disappeared without a trace, along with all the livestock and pets. After some time, the sailors managed to find the word "Croatoan" scrawled on a tree, but there was no cross under it. This meant only one thing - the settlers left on their own.
Upon his return to the island, John White found only the ruins of a settlement.
It is still unknown what happened to the people. Were they killed? They were captured by the Indians and taken inland? Or maybe they voluntarily went to the Indians to survive?
The newly minted governor and sailors searched the entire island. But they found only the palisade that surrounded the place of the former settlement, and the remains of the British fortifications. The houses were safe and sound, no boats or weapons were found. The sailors did not find any remains or graves of white people. When the island was searched again, five chests with the governor's belongings were found in one of the ditches, which he had left behind during his hasty departure from the island.
The inconsolable John White died in 1593. His legacy, among other things, was the wonderful watercolor drawings, thanks to which we can imagine the Indians, life and customs of that era.
Mother with baby boy and warrior of the Secotan tribe. Watercolor by John White, 1585.
So what happened? And what did the word "Croaton" mean?
Neighboring island version
80 kilometers south of Roanoke Island there is Croatoan Island, inhabited by Indians at that time. Perhaps the settlers were there. In order to check this, John White wanted to sail there immediately. However, the weather turned bad and the ship "Hopewell" fell from anchor, it began to be carried into the open sea. Because of this, White was never able to cover the short distance to Croaton. He had to immediately head for England and on October 24 he returned to Plymouth.
Croatoan and Roanoac islands on the old map
This combination of circumstances does not mean that the settlers were left to fend for themselves - the British sent rescue expeditions to the island. British ships have repeatedly visited Roanoke Island itself, surveyed the surrounding islands (including Croaton), and also explored lands on the mainland, trying to find at least some traces of colonists. But they could find nothing.
In total, in 1590, four search expeditions were sent to the North American island of Roanoke. The last large-scale expedition, sent to Croaton at the end of 1590, was under the command of Walter Reilly himself. But again, not a drop of blood, not a strand of hair or a patch of torn clothing was found, which would indicate an attack by enemies! Interestingly, the pets disappeared along with the people - the soldiers did not find a single dog or chicken. The surrounding forests were carefully examined in search of fresh graves, but not a single corpse was found.
The tribe of the local Croaton Indians in those days still treated the whites well, but just in case, their village on the neighboring island was also searched. However, this did not give any results.
Desperate to find any trace of the settlers, Walter Reilly sent a dispatch to Queen Elizabeth I, which said:
They could not just disappear so that not even a trace remained. The devil took them.
Later, Walter Reilly continued to search for settlers, but on his own initiative. He dug up all the land on the site of the village and only after 14 years he stopped unsuccessful searches. None of the 117 members of the expedition - men, women and children - who remained on Roanoke Island in 1587 were never seen again. Their disappearance without a trace is still considered one of the main mysteries in the history of mankind.
Mystical version
An interesting fact is that the word "Croatoan" meant not only the island. In fact, the island itself was named after a local deity, who was worshiped by all the tribes living in the area. According to their belief, "Croatoan" or "Reaper of Souls" is an incorporeal creature that lives among people and even dwells in some of them.
Dances of the Secotan Indians. Watercolor by John White, 1585
The Indians said that they brought food to the god on the sacrificial altar: the priests sat in a circle and watched as the food slowly disappeared into the air. Once a year, Croaton was sent a "helper" - a strong warrior: he was placed in a locked hut with an altar, but by morning the warrior disappeared.
According to legend, as a result of conflicts and clashes between settlers with local Indians, as well as possible opposition to the conduct of cult rituals, the tribal shaman put a curse on the settlers, calling on the god Croaton to cruelly deal with them.
It is assumed that it is this deity that is directly related to the disappearance of the first groups of colonizers. After all, if the cause of the disappearance were a natural or physical phenomenon, then it would have probably repeated itself over the past years. However, in the city of Monteo erected on the island of Roanoke, nothing of the kind happened anymore. Every year, a huge number of tourists come to the island, who could easily have become victims of the same unknown force, but more mass disappearances have not been recorded.
Other versions of the disappearance of people
There are several theories regarding the fate of the missing colonists, but none of them has yet been documented.
1. Sacrifice
The Indians worshiped the god Croaton, from whose name comes the name of the tribe and the island neighboring Roanoke. It is possible that on the island there was a case of mass hallucination, which was arranged by a shaman of an Indian tribe, and then the white settlers were simply sacrificed to the god Croatan.
By the way, the recognized master of horrors, the writer Stephen King, also did not stand aside: according to his version, set forth in the novel "Storm of the Century," the inhabitants of the village disappeared because they did not want to voluntarily give one of their children to the devil's messenger.
2. The settlers drowned
As you know, the future colonists sailed to Virginia on three ships. The governor returned to England in two, leaving one ship in Roanoke. It is believed that the settlers, desperate to wait for help, sailed to England on a ship, but got caught in a storm and drowned.
Is this possible? There were no experienced sailors among the colonists. It seems doubtful that migrants with women and children would dare to cross the ocean on their own.
3. The colonists were killed by the Spaniards
England was about to colonize the American coast. The Spanish crown had its own views on these lands and at that time was enemy number one for England. The Spaniards, of course, were well aware of the place where the new settlement was founded and tried to prevent the appearance of a colony.
In 1586, the famous English pirate Francis Drake sacked San Autustin in Florida, the northernmost Spanish settlement in America. Heading home, he swam north along the American coast. The Spanish governor heard rumors that the British were building a fort in the north, and perhaps even wanted to establish a colony. Unbeknownst to the Governor, Francis Drake had only made a stopover in Virginia and collected the distressed colonists from Roanoke. The Spaniard probably did not know about the second group of settlers left in Roanoke by White in 1587. However, in June 1588, he sent a small ship to explore. After exploring the Chesapeake Bay, the Spaniards came across Roanoke Island. And although they did not see any settlers or fortifications there, they still had an order to destroy the colony at the first opportunity.
However, they didn't. All ships in the West Indies, including those preparing to sail to Roanoke, were chartered to transport the treasures of the Spanish colonies - gold and silver plundered from the Indians - to their homeland. The Spanish expedition from the West Indies to North America was first postponed and then canceled. Thus, the Spaniards are not to blame for the disappearance of the colony.
4. Epidemic
The entire population of Roanoke Island could have died from an unknown disease.
Pretty absurd theory. An outbreak of an epidemic, of course, could have been, but then where did the bodies of the dead go? No bodies or graves were later found.
5. Attack of the Indians
The second most popular and very convincing version. But here, too, there is an argument against: there was no cross on the trees where the settlers left the signs, which would mean that they had to flee from Roanoke and escape from danger.
Of course, it can be assumed that the attack was sudden and people simply did not have time to cut out the symbol. But White, who arrived on the island in 1590, found neither corpses nor burned buildings. Thus, there is no evidence that the settlers were victims of Indian attacks.
6. Assimilation
Croaton or Hatteras is not only the name of the island, but also the name of an Indian tribe, one of many that previously inhabited the territory of modern North Carolina. Historian John Lawson spoke with the tribe in 1709, and this is what he wrote:
The Hatteras Indians either lived at the time on Roanoke Island, or often visited it. They say that several of their ancestors were white people. The gray color of the eyes convinces us of the veracity of this, which is often found in these Indians, but more in none of the others. They are extremely proud of their kinship with the British and are ready to render them all kinds of friendly services.
There are additional facts in favor of Lawson's version. Some Hatteras Indians are named after the Roanoke colonists, and their language bears clear traces of the influence of the English language as it existed four centuries ago. Perhaps the colonists could not stand the harsh living conditions, turned to the Hatteras Indians for help and eventually assimilated.
But there are also questions here. For example, why did the colonists leave instructions on the island to move to one place, while they themselves sailed in a completely different direction? Or why didn't they take the governor's personal belongings? Not enough space? Why didn't they come back for them?
Suppose the British left Roanoke Island. But where did they go then? Should there have been traces of their new settlement at least somewhere - houses, tools, weapons, boats, books, household items? But for almost four hundred years that have passed since then, no one has ever found these traces anywhere. The colony disappeared without a trace …
Roanoke Island today
In 1937, the United States issued a commemorative stamp with a denomination of 5 cents, dedicated to the 350th anniversary of Virginia Dare, the first white colonist born in America, namely on Roanoke Island.
Commemorative postage stamp dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the birth of Virginia Dare
Roanoke Island is a tourist destination. Crowds of tourists come to look at that very tree with the carved inscription. True, as historical sources say, the words on the tree have already changed three times. In a testimony from 1670, the nun Emily Wayne writes that the words "Evil is inevitable" were visible on the bark. Others believe that the original words were almost completely burned out by order of the expedition commander Walter Reilly, who believed that the message on the bark was encrypted "one of the names of Satan," and as a result, only a few letters of the message survived.
There is a park on the island, where a monument is erected in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, who sent the first group of colonizers.
The island hosts annual costume festivals in memory of the first settlers, which attracts many visitors.
Roanoke Island, airplane view
Tourists are briskly buying souvenirs and baseball caps with the inscription "Where have people gone?" But the answer to this question will never be received.
Used materials from the site iksinfo.ru and blogs americanlegends, laila50
