# What Happened to the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746 "2011-03-23T18:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/1 "2011-03-23T18:20:55Z")
I was just wondering if there is a consensus on the these board as to what happened to the lost colony of [Roanoke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony)? When John White returned there August 18, 1590, everyone was gone, with no evidence of where they went except the word “Croatoan” carved into a post of the fort and “Cro” carved into a nearby tree. My theory is that, whatever happened, they were basically all killed somehow. If they were alive, they would probably have shown up somewhere eventually, no? Now, I have heard stories that they interbred with nearby friendly native americans. But that just sounds silly for the reason I just gave. What do the rest of you think:)? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/2 "2011-03-23T18:23:17Z")
An incisive, indeed an utterly brilliant, [treatment](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2906/so-what-did-happen-to-the-settlers-at-roanoke) here. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/3 "2011-03-23T18:23:22Z")
They probably got hungry, pulled up stakes and set out for Hatteras Island, known to the colonists as Croatoan. The boat sank, and the sharks did the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/4 "2011-03-23T18:37:14Z")
Here’s also [Skeptoid’s take](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4245), which elaborates a bit on the possibility that the settlers have indeed, in a manner, resurfaced again: > [@](#): > > There is only one account of the Jamestown colonists actually encountering a person who appeared to be of English descent. He was seen in Powhatan territory in 1607, and was described as: > “a Savage Boy about the age of ten yeeres, which had a head of haire of a perfect yellow and a reasonable white skinne, which is a miracle amongst all the Savages.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/5 "2011-03-23T18:51:46Z")
[Cracked also offers a brief treatment.](http://www.cracked.com/article_16671_6-famous-unsolved-mysteries-with-really-obvious-solutions.html) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/6 "2011-03-24T23:33:34Z")
I think that they went to Croatoan. Why else would they carve that on the fort/tree? If they were suddenly attacked and killed then they would not have carved that. I also don’t understand why the OP doesn’t think that they would not interbreed with the Indians. Here they are, 100 people all alone in a strange world, nobody coming back for them at the promised time. Looks like living with the Indians made sense from a survival standpoint. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/7 "2011-03-25T02:42:43Z")
Some new archeological evidence has emerged, discussed in [this article.](http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2010/1/2010_1_60.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/8 "2011-03-25T04:08:24Z")
The [Lumbee Indians](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbee) of North Carolina (recognized as an Indian nation by the state but not by the federal government) are supposedly descended from Roanoke colonists and Indians. I’ve passed through the part of NC where they live and noted that they look like Indians, but grey eyes are common among them. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/9 "2011-03-25T05:15:07Z")
Even without a definitive answer, this is more of a General Question than a Great Debate. So moved. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/10 "2011-03-25T12:02:52Z")
Lee Miller’s book **Roanoke** gives an interesting take on it. He thinks that the colony was doomed from the start, sabotaged by political opponents of Raleigh. And you have to admit that either sabotage or gross incompetance was responsible for some truly awful actions, alerting other European powers to the new colony’s presence, alienating the local indians, and undersupplying the colonists. > **[Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony: Miller, Lee: 9780142002285:...](https://www.amazon.com/Roanoke-Solving-Mystery-Lost-Colony/dp/0142002283)** > > Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony \[Miller, Lee\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony In the end, Miller thinks that the colonists who didn’t die ended up living among the mainland tribes, possibly as slaves. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/11 "2011-03-25T14:53:39Z")
Actually, the Roanoke Colonists intermarried with the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. It’s a long story. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/12 "2011-03-25T15:52:20Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I think that they went to Croatoan. Why else would they carve that on the fort/tree? If they were suddenly attacked and killed then they would not have carved that. Perhaps they were dictating. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/13 "2011-03-25T16:21:09Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The [Lumbee Indians](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbee) of North Carolina (recognized as an Indian nation by the state but not by the federal government) are supposedly descended from Roanoke colonists and Indians. I’ve passed through the part of NC where they live and noted that they look like Indians, but grey eyes are common among them. I had a fraternity brother who was Lumbee. This was his insistence. He also said that when Europeans first encountered the Lumbee, they were already speaking an English creole. ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/14 "2011-03-25T17:42:53Z")
Does anyone know if the original tree/post with the carved words is still around? Is it on display or was it lost? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/15 "2011-03-25T19:02:46Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Perhaps they were dictating. No, in that case the last thing carved on the tree would have been “AAARRGGHH…” ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/16 "2011-03-26T02:10:32Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > An incisive, indeed an utterly brilliant, [treatment](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2906/so-what-did-happen-to-the-settlers-at-roanoke) here. > > 😃 Funny, you say that about _all_ the Staff Reports you link to that _you_ wrote, but _none_ of the ones you link to that _someone else_ wrote. I wonder why that is? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/17 "2011-03-26T02:44:41Z")
Considering that some of the indians nearby started to have enlglish names and blond hair i think they may have settled with them ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/18 "2011-03-26T03:09:48Z")
> [@Orionizer](#): > > Does anyone know if the original tree/post with the carved words is still around? Is it on display or was it lost? Shoreline erosion probably put the tree underwater in the intervening years. The same thing happened to part the original Jamestown colony site and that had only river erosion to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/19 "2011-03-26T23:36:37Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Actually, the Roanoke Colonists intermarried with the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. It’s a long story. So that’s why there are resorts in the Catskills. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke/575746/20 "2011-03-27T05:37:43Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > No, in that case the last thing carved on the tree would have been “AAARRGGHH…” The Castle Aarrgghh?