John White and the Colony of Roanoke Virginia
What Became of the “Lost Colony?” John White’s account of the “Relief Expedition, 1590” describes his second voyage to the colony of Roanoke in 1590. In 1586, White was forced to return to England for more supplies, leaving over one hundred men at Roanoke to support the new colony. ... When he did return, White was surprised to find the colony of Roanoke Island deserted. To this day, the fate of the “lost colony” remains a mystery. Many hypotheses exist, but, based on accounts from The Enduring Vision and John White’s narrative, the colonists most likely went to live with the Croatoan Indians of the island. Upon White’s landing at Roanoke in 1590, he returned to the fort to meet back up with the colonists but found it abandoned. Five feet from the entrance of the fort, White found the word “CROATOAN” carved into the bark of a tree. White and the colonists had agreed that if they were to change locations, they would carve the name of their present location in a tree near the fort where White had left them. He further explained that if the colony were in trouble, they were to carve a cross over the word, but White “found no such sign of distress” (Voices 23).