In 1587, John White left 117 colonists at Roanoke and sailed to England. 3 years later, he returned and found over 100 settlers vanished, leaving behind the mysterious word CROATOAN

In 1587, John White left Roanoke Island after English settlers established a colony there. He had been sent back to England to obtain supplies and additional help for the settlers. White would not return for three years. When he finally reached Roanoke Island in 1590, he found the settlement abandoned. The colonists were gone, and two mysterious carvings provided the only clues White found about where they might have gone: “CRO” carved into a tree and “CROATOAN” carved into a post in the settlement’s palisade, as per a National Park Service report. The fate of the Roanoke colonists has never been definitively established.

John White Left Roanoke in 1587

The 1587 expedition brought 117 men, women and children to Roanoke Island. White served as the colony’s governor.

The settlers soon faced difficulties, including a lack of reliable food sources. They decided to send White back to England to seek additional settlers and supplies.


White left Roanoke in late August 1587. He reached England later that year, but setbacks prevented him from returning to the colony as quickly as planned.

Why John White Could Not Return Immediately

White was unable to make his planned return to Roanoke for several years.

The National Park Service says that events surrounding the conflict between England and Spain affected the availability of ships, contributing to the delay. White eventually found passage in 1590 with a group of privateers traveling toward the West Indies.

By the time he returned to Roanoke, three years had passed since he had left the colonists.

White Returned to an Abandoned Settlement

White landed at Roanoke Island on August 18, 1590.

Instead of finding the colonists, he found remnants of the settlement but no signs of life. The National Park Service says there were no signs of a struggle or of the colonists leaving in haste. The buildings had been dismantled, and the colonists were nowhere to be found. Then White discovered the carvings that would become central to the mystery.

What Did “CROATOAN” Mean

White found “CRO” carved into a tree and “CROATOAN” carved into a post in the palisade. Croatoan was the name of both a people and a place. The Croatoan people lived on Croatoan, identified today with Hatteras Island.

White believed the carving indicated that the colonists had relocated to Croatoan. He planned to search there, but a storm disrupted the voyage and forced him to abandon the search.

The carving, however, does not prove that the colonists actually moved to Croatoan.

What Happened to the Lost Colony

More than four centuries later, the fate of the Roanoke colonists remains unresolved.

The National Park Service notes that several theories have been proposed, including the possibility that the colonists relocated to Croatoan, moved elsewhere in the region or faced other circumstances. But no theory has definitively established what happened to the entire colony.

Archaeological discoveries and historical clues have continued to fuel research into the Lost Colony, but the National Park Service says no one has definitively proven what happened to the settlers.