The Lost Colony

Roanoke is an island near North Carolina in the United States, where the English planned to settle in the 1580s to start a new life. considering that it was one of the first colonization efforts of the English in America, it surely has carved an important place for itself in history.

The mysterious story begins in 1587, when about 115 people—men, women, and children—arrived on Roanoke Island and wanted to start their new life here. They have settled with their hopes high, wishing to continue a restful existence. However, the island had other things planned for them.

After a while, people realized that if they were going to make a decent living here, they were going to need more resources, so John White, the man who led this small group of immigrants, decided to sail to England to bring more food and supplies for his people. But what he didn't consider was that a terrible war was going on between England and Spain at the time. But unfortunately, John, not considering the situation, went to England anyway.

At the end of his journey, when John wanted to turn back to Roanoke, all the ships had been used for the sake of war, so it took John White exactly three years to return since there was no other way for him to go—three whole years of longing to get back to his family, to his people.

It was 1590 when he finally arrived. However, things did not go as he had expected, and unfortunately he did not receive the warm welcome he had hoped for.

Instead, he found absolutely nothing: not a crack of a branch, not a single soul awaits. That unfortunate man tried to find a hint—anything that could help him to understand what was going on—but there was no sign of a battle or escape, only abandoned houses and empty streets. He couldn’t find anything but a word:

The only clues were the word “CROATOAN” carved on a pole and the letters “CRO” similarly written on a tree. 

Surprisingly, this was the name of another nearby island. Since it was really their most valuable and, much more importantly, their only clue, John White and his crew decided to sail to Croatia and solve the mystery of their vanished colony. Tragically, their misfortune continued—a terrible storm hit and they were forced to head back to the island to prevent damage to their ship and a possibly worse fate.

Those who went missing were never heard from again, even after years had passed. Naturally, it didn't take long for all sorts of theories about the place to emerge, each more eerie than the last. Despite all the gossip, the vast majority of local lore agrees on one key point: the land is plagued by an evil curse, and the name CROATOAN is considered a symbol of the damned that pops up from time to time in the dusty corners of history. There are also rumors that the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe muttered the word over and over again in the last moments of his life, although this cannot be proven to be true.

So what could have happened? Looking at the work of historians, here are some consistent theories:

One of the most likely scenarios is that the missing people may have joined the Croatoan or some other tribe, and the closest thing we have to proof of this is that in later times some of the natives were found wearing English clothing.

Another theory is that the settlers might have died of starvation or disease; after all, living conditions in America at that time were harsh, and it was difficult to survive without any external help. However, if you ask me, this theory doesn't make much sense, because even if they died of natural causes, wouldn't it be strange if there were no human remains?

There are also rumors such as enemy attacks; it was thought that the Spanish army or other enemies targeted the colony, but then an obvious question arose and the theory was disproved: no signs of war were found in Roanoke.

Of course, in addition to realistic theories such as these, the existence of supernatural possibilities has been widely discussed over the years, with various curses and other unknown elements being linked to this disappearance.

Although there are many theories, most of them continue to raise new questions and have become an enigma that remains a mystery to this day. Even today, the story of the "Lost Colony" continues to fascinate people, and many tourists continue to visit the island where this strange event took place, and the story of Roanoke has inspired movies, TV series, and books. (e.g., American Horror Story: Roanoke).

To me, it's a supernatural tale of haunting whispers on the wind and a reminder of how the unknown can devour humanity. I think the mystery of Roanoke will continue to linger, becoming another mystical tale to be forgotten in the dusty pages of history.

Image Reference:

1) White, J., Bry, T., & Thomas Harriot. (1590). Americæ pars, nunc Virginia dicta, primum ab Anglis inuenta, sumtibus Dn. Walteri Raleigh, equestris ordinis Viri, Anno Dn̄i. MDLXXXV regni Vero Sereniss. nostræ Reginæ Elisabethæ XXVII, hujus vero historia peculiari libro descripta est, additis etiam indigenarum iconibus [Map]. Retrieved from https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/3f462s42v

2) Bryant, W. C., & Gay, S. H. (1876). A popular history of the United States: from the first discovery of the western hemisphere by the Northmen to the end of the first century of the union of the states; preceded by a sketch of the prehistoric period and the age of the mound builders. New York: Scribner, Armstrong, and Company.