The Roanoke Colony, established in 1587 on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, is one of American history’s most famous mysteries due to its disappearance. When the colony's leader, John White, returned from a three-year trip to England to gather supplies, he found the settlement deserted with only the word “Croatoan” carved into a tree. Several theories explain what happened to the Roanoke colonists:
- One popular theory is that the settlers integrated with local Indigenous tribes, particularly the Roanoke-Hatteras people living on nearby Croatoan Island. This is supported by the clue left behind and recent archaeological findings of colonial-era pottery near known Native villages.
- Other theories include death by disease, famine caused by the severe drought between 1587 and 1589 during the Little Ice Age, conflicts with neighboring native tribes, and possibly attacks by hostile Spaniards.
- Archaeologists have also found evidence suggesting that the colonists split into multiple smaller groups and assimilated into Indigenous communities rather than perishing outright.
Despite extensive speculation, no definitive explanation has emerged, and the fate of the 115 settlers remains uncertain, but assimilation with Native Americans is currently the most supported theory by recent research and archaeological evidence.
