The Roanoke Colony

In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh sent an expedition to Roanoke Island, Virginia (part of present day North Carolina) on the East Coast of North America with the permission of Queen Elizabeth I to set up a colony there. They didn't exactly hit it off with the local Native American tribes (the Croatans) that were there and they began to run low on food and men. So when Sir Francis Drake came for a visit and offered to take them back to England, they left.

In 1857, 121 new colonists were sent back to Roanoke Island for a second attempt at colonization. These new colonists found the natives to be friendly. However, the more they tried to befriend them, the higher the tension mounted, resulting in the killing of a colonist by the name of George Howe. The leader of the colony, John White, decided to return to England for help, leaving behind 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children. When he returned to the colony, it was deserted. There were no signs of struggle and no remains were found. The Roanoke Colony became known as the Lost Colony and none of the settlers were ever seen again. Although no one knows for sure, some believe that they merged with the Croatans.