Of all the mysteries in the world, the Roanoke Island mystery seems a little less common but far more interesting. The Roanoke island known also as a colony which was located in present-day North Carolina settled in 1584. This was the English colonists’ first try at settling down in the North American region.
But this did not prove to be a very good experience for the settlers and ended up being a disaster. This was mainly because there was hardly any harvest, the lack of material, and of course, the troublesome relationship with the people of the area.
Under such difficult circumstances, it did not seem like a wise decision for the group of English colonists to remain there. So, under the leadership of John White, the colonists decide to return to England and seek help from Queen Elizabeth, 1. After John White returned a few later, the colony had disappeared and there were hardly any traces left of it. This is what led to what we now know as the Roanoke Island mystery. It just a lost colony now.
Settlers coming to Roanoke Island
Queen Elizabeth I had allowed Sir Walter Raleigh to let a group of settlers settle down in the Chesapeake Bay which was a part of a much larger strategy of discovering the land of North America. Sir Richard Grenville is the one who led this adventure leading the settlers to Roanoke Island in 1584.
Although some negotiations were going on here and there, none of them worked. Until 1587 when John White arrived with his group intending to settle down. The original plan of this group was to settle down in the Chesapeake Bay but the ship instead took them to Roanoke Island. Thus, the legend was born.
Although John White’s group was a lot hopeful than the rest of the group colonists, they faced similar difficulties. This included a lack of harvest as well as peaceful relations with the Indigenous island people. The tensions between the Native Americans and the settlers began to grow after an attack on one of the colonists.
Since the situation was not resolving, John White decided to go back to England to get help from the Queen. He left behind 117 settlers on Roanoke Island but where are they now? No one knows.
The situation in England at that time was already not great because of the Anglo-Spanish war going on. Since most of the resources were being used in the war, there was hardly any left to discover the New World.
Roanoke Island Mystery continues
There have been several theories as to what exactly happened to the settlers. Some say the original settlers were murdered, other theories suggest natural causes. Or even a zombie outbreak which is quite unlikely.
But the most common and relevant theory presented by archaeologists explains that it is possible that the colonists decided to settle down with the nearby tribes due to the dangerous conditions. Will the Roanoke Island mystery ever be solved? We may never know.
