Vanished Without a Trace: The Lost Colony of Roanoke

The Enduring Mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke

In this episode of The Rabbit Hole Chronicles, host Joe Foster delves into one of America's most enduring historical enigmas—the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Established in 1587 under the leadership of Governor John White, the colony faced numerous challenges, ultimately leading to its mysterious disappearance. The episode explores various theories, including integration with the Croatoan tribe, Spanish attacks, and natural disasters, while also highlighting recent archaeological efforts and legends surrounding the event. Foster encourages listeners to dig deeper and even suggests that one of them might one day solve this historical mystery.

Transcript

Joe Foster: 0:02

Welcome to another episode of The Rabbit Hole Chronicles the podcast that dels deep into the mysteries of the past. I'm your host, Joe Foster. Today we are going to explore one of the most enduring enig in American history, the Lost Colony of Roanoke in 1587. A group of English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, located off the coast of present day North Carolina. In an attempt to establish the first permanent English colony in the new world led by Governor John White, they faced numerous challenges in their new home, but nothing could have prepared them for the mysterious fate that would befall them. So buckle up as we journey back in time to the late 16th century and try to unravel the baffling disappearance of the Roanoke colony. But first, a little housekeeping. If you're enjoying the show and you haven't done so already, please consider leaving a review and a five star rating. It helps a lot by getting the show in front of new listeners. I, so if you're already listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you're already in the right place, but if you're not, there would be a link in the description to take you to. The, the show on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Uh, so that way you can leave a review on those platforms. Thank you so much for your time. And now back to the show. In the late 16th century, England was eager to establish a foothold in the new world, driven by a desire for wealth, resources, and a strategic advantage over their rivals, particularly Spain, queen Elizabeth. I granted Sir Walter Riley, a charter to colonize the eastern coast of North America, which ultimately led to the elevated Roanoke Expedition. Before we discuss the Roanoke colony, let's take a look at the broader context of English exploration. During this period, England was a latecomer to the race for the new world with Spain and Portugal already having established colonies in reaping the benefits of their overseas territories. England's forays into the new world were marked by a series of Feld expeditions. Including the 1584 Renaissance mission led by Philip Armand and Arthur Barlow, and the 1585 attempt to establish a military outpost under Sir Richard Greenville. Now let's talk about the man at the center of it all. John White. He was an artist and a cartographer by trade. But as it turns out, also quite the adventurer appointed as the governor of the Roanoke Colony. He was tasked with leading over 100 men, women, and children across the Atlantic to establish their new home. Talk about a career change, right? The settler has arrived on Ro. Island in July, 1587, and they quickly got to work building their resettlement. The island offered a strategically advantage, uh, location with natural defenses, but it wasn't exactly a tropical paradise. Resources were scarce intentions between the settlers and the local Native American tribes were high, partly due to the previous failed colonization attempts by the English in the area. It is safe to say that the Roanoke sailors weren't exactly winning any popularity contests with their new neighbors. And you know what they say about first impressions, right? Well, the sailors accidentally burnt down their initial fort during the construction. Not exactly the smoothest start to the new lives in the new world. But hey, we all make mistakes to make matters even more challenging. They arrived too late in the season to plant crops. Which would have severe consequences for their food supply in the coming months. So with the colony established, albeit a bit chaotically, John White realized that they were running low on supplies. He made the difficult decision to return to England to gather more resources leaving the settlers behind on Roanoke Island. Little did he know that this would be the last time he would ever see them. Now, white had planned to return to Roanoke as quickly as possible. But fate had other plans. England was on the brink of war with Spain, and every available ship was needed for the looming conflict. To make matters worse, when White finally managed to secure passage back to Roanoke in 1590, his ship was captured by pirates. Talk about bad luck, right? Anyway, after some swashbuckling. Ventures and several delays. White finally made it back to Roanoke, but when he arrived, the colony was deserted. Now, single settler was in sight. The only thing he found was a word crow toan carved in a tree in the letters crow. CRO etched into a nearby post. Nobody. No signs of struggle, just an eerie silence in a cryptic message. It was like something straight out of a horror movie. White was devastated by the discovery and immediately set out to search for the settlers, believing that they may have moved to Patura Island. Home to the crow toe and tribe. However, a series of storms and dangerous sea conditions forced him to abandon his search and return to England empty handed. So what happened to the Roanoke sailors? Well, there are several theories that attempt to explain their mysterious. Appearance. Let's dive into some of the most popular ones and consider the evidence for each integration with the crow and to tribe. The cryptic me message Crow Toin could suggest that the sailors moved to Hatches Island home to the Crow to tribe. Some evidence supports this theory, including archeological findings of European artifacts and Native American settlements. There are also stories passed down by the Crow and Towen tribe. That describe the arrival of the English settlers and their integration into the community. So did the settlers assimilate with the crowton tribe as possible, but definitive proof remains elusive Spanish attack. So let's not forget that England and Spain were on pretty bad terms during this period. The Spanish could have discovered the Roanoke colony and attacked. Either killing or capturing the settlers. In fact, the Spanish were actively searching for the English colony, hoping to eliminate it before it became a threat to their interests in the region. However, there's a lack of concrete evidence to support this theory, so for now, it remains just another piece of the puzzle. Disease, famine, or natural disaster. Life on Roanoke Island wasn't easy. The sailors faced harsh conditions, limited resources, and potential conflicts with the local tribes. It's possible that disease, famine, or even a natural disaster could have wiped out The colony tree ring studies conducted on Roanoke Island have revealed that the area experienced a severe drought during the period. The sailors were there. Which could have led to crop failure in a lack of portable water. But again, without more evidence, it's hard to say for sure. And, uh, internal conflict and fragmentation. So lastly, there's the possibility that the settlers simply couldn't get along Internal divisions and conflict could have led to the colony's demise. There are some reports of violence and turmoil within the Roanoke settlement, but like the other theories. Concrete evidence is scarce. It's also possible that the settlers decided to split into smaller groups and seek refuge among different Native American tribes in the region with the hope of increasing their chances of survival. So what's happening now in the search for answers about the lost colony of Ron? Well, researchers haven't given up and new discoveries continue to be made. Archeological efforts are ongoing with digs at various sites on Roanoke Island, hatchery Island, and the surrounding areas. Some of these excavations have uncovered intriguing artifacts, which could potentially be linked to the Roanoke Sailors. For example, the First Colony Foundation has been conducting excavations at a site called Site X. On the mainland where they have found pottery, metal items and other artifacts dating back to the 16th century, which could suggest the presence of the Roanoke settles. Modern technology is also playing a significant role in the search for clues. Remote sensing techno, uh, techniques such as ground penetrated radar and aerial photography are being used to identify potential archeological sites. Meanwhile, DNA analysis is being employed to examine human remains found in the region in an attempt to establish. A connection to the Roanoke settlers. The Lost Colony Research Group has been working with local residents and descendants of the Croton tribe, collecting DNA samples to look for potential matches with the Roanoke settlers descendants. While the mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke remains unsolved, the dedicated efforts of the researchers and, and the use of cutting edge technology offer. Hope that we may one day uncover the truth behind this fascinating enigma. I was able to find a clip from a history channel show called The Unexplained. This was from season three, and the episode was called The Colony of Roanoke, mysterious Disappearance. So let's have a listen. Fort Raleigh National Historic site, North Carolina. More than 400 years ago, this was the site of a colony called Roanoke, the first English settlement in North America. Roanoke is known as the Lost Colony because it was mysteriously abandoned in 1590 and the colonists vanished without a trace. The lost colony remains this mystery that's at the very heart of the origin of our nation. People fascinated by Roanoke because we know so little about the place, we know what happened at Jamestown. We know what happened at Plymouth, but Roanoke is this mystery because we don't know what happened. When we think about the founding of the United States of America, we think of it in this fairly linear way that colonists showed up. They settled, they moved West they America, and really it turns out that there were a number of false starts. How this country got started, and one of those was the colony at Roanoke. This was a group of people who showed up and were ready to settle. But what happened to that colony is one of the big unanswered questions of American history. What happened to the roke colonists? Perhaps the answer can be found by examining the events. In the late 16th century that led to their fateful disappearance. In the 1580s, England was a very small, poor struggling island that really wanted to get in on the game of colonizing the Americas'cause that's where the money was, the English were looking at, the Spanish ships coming back, leading with gold and various commodities from their empire, if you like, in Mexico, south America, Florida. And of course that was making Spanish very powerful. Essentially, it was a case of if we don't find our own source of wealth in this new world, we could be sort of overrun by our enemies. In 1587, an English map maker named John White was commissioned to found a new colony on Roanoke Island, which had been claimed by a British expedition to the new world. Two years earlier, after an arduous two month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean White and 117 colonists landed on Roanoke Island. The people who chose to come along on this ill faded expedition were middle class people from London, so they were eager to find new lands because to have land in England. Meant everything. That's what gave you status. But they knew they needed more supplies and more colonists in order to succeed, in order to thrive. So John White decided to return to England in order to get those needed supplies and colonists. On August 25th, 1587, only three months after first arriving on Roanoke John White set sale for England. He planned to return with aid in. Less than six months, but a series of conflicts with the Spanish Navy would delay white's return mission for three long years. In August of 1590, John White returns to Roanoke Island. They anchor offshore, and when they arrive it's dark and it's too late for them to go ashore. But John White is happy because he sees a fire in the distance and he assumes that the settlers are there waiting for him. Maybe even have seen his ship and have. Lit a bonfire in order to guide him. In the next morning, white came ashore, expecting to find the colonist there to welcome him back, but to his surprise, there was no sign of them. The entire settlement was completely abandoned. John White gets back to Roan Oak, but there's no sign of anyone and he finds all the houses have been taken down. And in their place is a very, very well built, defensible fort. So little bit of a mystery. You've got this new fort that wasn't there in 15, uh, 87 when he last saw them, and the place is deserted. Where have they gone? Eventually, John White came across a cryptic clue as to the whereabouts of the colonists. He found the word. Croton mysteriously carved into a wooden post. John White told the colonists when he left in 1587 that if they were to abandon the settlement, that they should leave a secret token, as he called it behind, so that he would know where to find them. And this seemed to be the answer here was Tonin carved onto the post Pro Ratin was what we call Hatteras today, an island about 50 miles to the south. It is also the name of the tribe of Native Americans who lived on the island. But when John White prepared to set sail to search for the colonists, a storm blew in, damaged his ship, and he was forced to return to England. Unfortunately, John. Was never able to return to the new world to search for the lost colonists. But in recent years, archeologists have carried out extensive excavations to try and solve this 400 year old mystery. Archeologists have been digging on Hatteras, what was called pro toin, and they have come up with some remarkable evidence. The first most important piece of evidence found was a gold ring that was made in Elizabethan times. This was big news because it seemed to indicate the possibility that at least one of the colonists had been on Croatan Island. And then another competing team was digging on Hatter's Island. And what they found was really intriguing. They actually discovered the hilt of an Elizabethan erasor. It was found in a Native American village. Now, whether or not this is something that belonged to a lost colonist remains to be seen, it's possible some did survive long enough to have a family and that there would've been a simulation with the Crow toin. And yet, considering how much archeology that's been done, we have no skeletons. Where are they? That is a mystery. If we had found dead bodies scattered or obvious signs of a siege or an attack, that would be the answer that we need. We get this word croatan, but did people actually make it there? Where did they go? What happened to this group of settlers? It's the ambiguity that really keeps this legend alive. It is hard to imagine that an entire colony that was home to over a hundred people could just vanish into thin air. Did the colonists at Roanoke simply decide to move somewhere else, or was there a darker reason behind the disappearance? Now over the centuries, the story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke has captured the public's imagination and inspired numerous legends and tells some of these stories have become part of the local folklore, adding another layer of the. To the mystery one. Such legend tells of the dare stones, a series of engraved stones that purportedly tell the story of the Roanoke cellar's fate. These stones were discovered in the 1930s and initially generated a great deal of excitement among historians. However, the stones were later determined to be forgeries casting doubt on their authenticity. Another fascinating tale is that of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the new world, in the granddaughter of John White. According to the legend, Virginia was transformed into a white dough by an angry native American sorcerer. And she continues to roam the forest of Roanoke Island to this day. My, this story is more folklore. In fact, it demonstrates the endearing fascination with the lost colony of Roanoke. So there you have it. The endearing mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. We've looked at the main theories from integration with Theone Tribe and Spanish attacks to disease, famine, or natural disasters. And even internal conflicts. We've also explored recent research efforts and the legends that have sprung up around this captivating historical enigma. While we may not have definitive answers, the intrigue surrounding the Roanoke settlers disappearance continues to capture our imaginations. I encourage you, our listeners, to dig deeper, explore the series, and maybe even come up with some of your own. Who knows? Perhaps one of you will be the one to finally solve the mystery of the Roanoke Sailors disappearance. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey into the past. Be sure to tune in next time as we dive into another fascinating episode of The Rabbit Hole Chronicles