Wednesday, April 30, 2025

The Roanoke Colony

One of the first English attempts to organize a colony in the New World (North America) and to make countless generations of native people happy, started well...only to end horribly.

In 1585, about 150 colonists settled on Roanoke Island on the Atlantic coast of present-day North Carolina. The colony was supplied by ships, but at that time there was no way to maintain regular traffic between England and the island-object of colonization.

On several occasions from 1585 to 1587 ships came and went from the island where, despite certain problems, the situation was fine, even the first English colonist born on American soil (the first `American`) was from the ranks of that colony. I don't believe they christened Hank and that he was born with a Bud Light sixpack in his hands, but whatever it was, he was the first.

Due to the Anglo-Spanish War (the one with the Great Armada and an even bigger storm) and reduced sea traffic - the colony was left without contact with the outside world for 3 years.

John White, the father of the first child born in the New World who returned to England in 1587 to procure material for the colony's needs - returned to the island, but not after a few months as he had planned but after three years due to circumstances. And he had something to see...or rather, he didn't have anything, because there was no trace of the inhabitants, all of them disappeared and to this day their fate is unknown.

Not only the people but also the houses, barns and other buildings disappeared. All the sailors found was an obscure inscription in an unknown language "Croatoan", a carved Maltese cross in wood, a few cannons and some small items...

One of the many unsolvable mysteries that our blue planet is so rich in, one of the many events that inspire millions of armchair Indiana Jones`s on an adventure through the brain synapses if not through the geographical location of the event.

And why not? Almost everything is known, all the songs have been sung and all the pictures painted. Only the incidents from the abyss of history remain unknown. And a few other small items, but that's another story.

(By Roger Mortis, 039)

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