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Origins of the mystery -

The Roanoke mystery has its roots in 16th-century England. Elizabeth I (1533–1603), keen to establish a foothold in the New World, agreed to attempt a settlement of colonists in North America.

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Walter Raleigh (c. 1552–1618) -

The Tudor monarch gave her blessing to statesman, solider, and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, who sponsored an expedition to found the first permanent English settlement in North America.

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The Amadas and Barlowe Expedition -

In 1585, the Amadas and Barlowe Expedition, named after Captain Philip Amadas and Master Arthur Barlowe, arrived at the mainland American coast, landing on a string of islands off present-day North Carolina (then part of the territory of Virginia).

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First English colony in America -

Among the passengers wading ashore was English explorer Sir Ralph Lane (c. 1532–1603). Lane would set the foundations for the establishment of the first English colony in America. Or so he thought.

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Roanoke Island -

Lane, together with the expedition's admiral Sir Richard Grenville and a small retinue of settlers, founded a community on Roanoke Island near the village of Aquascogoc.

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Sir Richard Grenville (1542–1591) -

Sir Richard Grenville was the cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh. He gloated in his reputation as a privateer, and enjoyed considerable success in attacking Spanish treasure ships. Grenville and his men would later sack and burn Aquascogoc in retaliation for the disappearance of a silver drinking cup from the colony, a 'theft' he blamed on the indigenous population.

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Violent beginning -

Within a few months of their arrival, the colony found itself in trouble. Having arrived too late to grow their own food, the settlers, led by Lane, attacked a Pamlico Indian settlement, a skirmish that left the local chief dead.

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Return to England -

The risk of starvation and increasing tensions with the indigenous population—who by now were, naturally, very hostile towards their Old World visitors—prompted the settlers to return to England, though a detachment of 15 men remained on the island to maintain Raleigh's claim on the territory.

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Second attempt -

Following its failure, a second expedition, this time led by British explorer and cartographer John White, landed on the same island in 1587, and set up another settlement.

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Men, women, and children -

This time, around 100 settlers, including women and children, made landfall. White was to be the colony's governor.

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No chance of peace -

The arrival of this second batch of English riled the Pamlico Indians. They had not forgotten Lane's murderous raid two years earlier, or Grenville's wanton destruction of Aquascogoc. Hopes of achieving a peaceful trading partnership with the Pamlico were quickly dashed.

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Birth of Virginia Dare -

As the colonists attempted to build a new life on Roanoke Island, their numbers started to grow. On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was delivered—the first child born in North America of English parents. The granddaughter of the colony's governor, John White, Dare would become a prominent figure in American myth and folklore.

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Hunger and deprivation -

Despite this brief moment of elation, the fact is that for a second time the colonists were faced with the prospect of starvation. It was agreed, therefore, that White would return to England in person in order to persuade the government to urgently send supplies. It was a fateful decision.

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Spanish Armada -

White arrived in England in November 1587. But because of the approaching war with Spain, which eventually led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada, relief to the beleaguered colonists was postponed until 1590.

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The "Lost Colony" -

What befell the colony during the intervening three years remains one of history's great unexplained mysteries.

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Empty settlement -

What is certain is that when White returned to Roanoke in 1590, he found the settlement completely empty. The inhabitants, including his his wife, child, and grandchild, Virginia Dare, had simply vanished.

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CROATOAN -

Puzzled and anxious, the relief crew searched the area. But the only evidence of the "Lost Colony" was the word CROATOAN carved on a tree.

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Croatoan Island -

Croatoan was the name of an island south of Roanoke that was home to a Native American tribe of the same name.

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Had the colony relocated? -

White thought it logical that the colonists left on Roanoke had gone back to Croatoan, as an earlier expedition sponsored by Walter Raleigh had established contact with the indigenous population with whom the English had forged a mutual relationship.

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A grisly end? -

But there was also a nagging suspicion that those on Roanoke might have met a grisly end at the hands of the Pamlico.

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Killed or abducted? -

If the Roanoke colonists had been abducted, where were they? If they were dead, what had happened to the bodies?

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Completely vanished -

Despite an extensive search, the crew found no sign of their compatriots on Roanoke Island.

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Hopes dashed -

The crew's attempt to sail to isolated Croatoan Island was dashed when a violent Atlantic storm prevented their ship from setting sail.

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What was their fate? -

A distraught White had no option but to return to England without discovering the fate of the over 100 men, women, and children of the Roanoke Colony.

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Jamestown Colony -

But the fate of the Lost Colony did little to deter English colonists from pursuing a claim in the New World. In 1607, the Jamestown Colony was founded in Virginia.

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Plymouth Colony -

Thirteen years later, the Pilgrims of the Mayflower established the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

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Fort Raleigh National Historic Site -

But it is the unexplained disappearance of the Roanoke colonists that still intrigues historians and the general public alike. In 2009, archaeological research at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, which preserves the location of the Roanoke Colony, unearthed a ring believed to have belonged to one of the colonists. However, few human remains of any kind have been discovered at sites related to the Lost Colony. Image: National Park Service

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Roanoke fort -

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site features Sir Ralph Lane's reconstructed 1587 earthen fort.

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Waterside Theatre -

Other popular attractions include the Waterside Theatre. Every year the venue stages American playwright Paul Green's play 'The Lost Colony,' a drama based on Sir Walter Raleigh's attempts to establish a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island.

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Cape Hatteras National Seashore -

Roanoke Island itself is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which preserves the portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is a well-known landmark.

Sources (World History Encyclopedia) (North Carolina Museum of History) (History) (National Park Service)

See also: US immigration history. What led us here?

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