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What Really Happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
Theories
There have been countless theories over the past 400 years about what might have happened to the Lost Colony. There have been extreme theories ranging from being eaten by cannibals to alien abduction, but here are some of the most popular ones that have been investigated and debated throughout the years.
Taken over by Spain
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One theory is that the colony was taken over by Spain. The Spanish settlement was down the coastline of Florida and knew about the English settlers. A Roanoke settler by the name of Darby Glande apparently told the location of the settlement to the Spanish officials after leaving the colony in 1587 (Clark, 2008).
Disease
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Another theory is that the colony was succumbing to disease such as small pox and eventually all died. This theory is not one that has been taken seriously due to the fact that there were never any graves or bones found. There has never been any real poof to back this theory up (Lownsberry, 2009).
Killed by Natives
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Some people believe natives who felt threatened by them and took control of the colony killed them. This might explain the houses being dismantled. The natives may have used the wood for firewood after killing the settlers.
According to Clark (2008),
In the opinion of Johns Hopkins University anthropologist Lee Miller, the colonists wandered into a violent shift in the balance of power among inland tribes. Natives with whom the colonists were friendly lost their hold over the area, and Native Americans hostile to the settlers took control. If the Roanoke colonists made the trip inland when this happened, the men would've likely been killed and the women and children captured asslaves. The colonists would have then been traded along a route that spanned the U.S. coast from present-day Georgia to Virginia. (p.3)
Moved to another Location
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Many believe the colony did not perish or meet an unfortunate fate. Some believe they simply picked up and moved to another location and better living conditions. One theory is that the colonists, or at least some of them, moved west traveling by way of the Albemarle Sound. This would have brought them to the mouth of the Chowan River. From there they could have travelled north toward Virginia or west toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. There were friendly native tribes in these areas as well as a large amount of trading. The colonists may have even split up and gone separate ways joining various tribes who could help support them. One of the biggest problems in trying to establish which way the colonists may have travelled is trying to make comparisons between maps of that time with our modern day maps (Basu, 2013).
Joined the Croatoan Tribe
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Probably the most popular theory is that the Lost Colony moved 50 miles south to Hatteras Island and settled with the Croatoan tribe. The clues of them picking up and leaving without distress, along with leaving the word CROATOAN, left many including John White to believe they had simply moved to another area. There has also been much research and evidence to show that this is the most feasible theory. The Croatoans were a friendly tribe and it is believed by many scholars that the English colony inhabited with the Croatoan tribe and yielded the present day Lumbee Indians.
(Langston, 2014)
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