Roanoke. A Croatian Conundrum. Quiz

Answer:

In the late 1500s, England was anxious to settle the New World. During this time, Sir Walter Raleigh was an explorer and soldier and a court favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1585, Queen Elizabeth asked him to establish an English foothold in America to compete with Spain's colonization efforts. Based on reports from other expeditions, Raleigh decided to set up a military base on Roanoke Island (off present day North Carolina). This was chosen due to its prime position for harassing Spanish shipping lanes and for its supposed abundant natural resources and warm weather. The initial group of soldiers returned to England after a year and another expedition set out in 1587.

This time it included around 116 people encompassing men, women, and children. John White was chosen to lead this expedition. He was a mapmaker who had been on two of Raleigh's previous expeditions including a visit to Roanoke. His knowledge of the area and his scientific endeavors also led him to be named governor of the new colony. White wanted to show the world that this was more than a military mission; it was, in fact, going to be a permanent English settlement. To this end, he requested that his daughter Eleanor, with her husband Ananias Dare, join the party. Eleanor was also expecting their first child. The three ships landed in July of 1587, and people quickly built a palisade and homes. In August, Eleanor gave birth to a daughter they named Virginia Dare, who had the distinction of being the first English child born in America.

The colonists lived in what White described as "cottages" inside a fortified palisade. They attempted to grow their own food but realized they did not have the supplies to adequately farm the land. They ended up relying on friendly Native Americans to aid in gathering crops and game. However, many of the Native Americans, such as the Powhatan, turned out to be hostile and even killed some of the colonists. By August of that year, Governor White sailed back to England for a "quick" turnaround to get aid. However, when he landed in England he was informed all ships had to remain in port as the English were potentially facing the vast strength of the Spanish Armada. It took three years before White and a crew sailed back to North Carolina.

In 1590, as White and the rescuers neared the island at Roanoke, they thought they saw smoke and were comforted. However, upon disembarking they discovered the site completely abandoned. The buildings were dismantled and personal chests were dug up and emptied. The only clues at all were the words "CRO" and "CROATOAN" roughly carved in wood. White did not see a carved cross which was supposed to be the symbol for help. So he assumed they were at the nearby Croatoan Island which was inhabited by the Croatoan Native Americans and perhaps were getting help there. Weather and ship problems prevented them from sailing to the island and they had to return to England.

No word was ever heard from the colony again. Multiple theories regarding their disappearance exist. Perhaps, in desperation, they used their small boats to go to the Croatoan Island and befriend the natives. (In 2007, a series of DNA testing was initiated to determine if current residents had European and Native backgrounds.). Perhaps the settlers tried to sail to England themselves and their small vessels were capsized. Perhaps a hostile tribe came across them and killed them. At least one piece of puzzle can be certain: even though the word "Croatoan" is similar to "Croatia", and verbal miscues have occurred, the Slavic country was still centuries away from existing under that name!

Maybe someday the world will learn what happened to the famous Lost Colony of Roanoke.