The video, ‘What Happened to The Lost Colony of Roanoke?’ is an intriguing investigations into the possible occurrences that could have led to the disappearance of the whole colony including the over 100 English settlers. The colonization of Roanoke was part of Queen Elizabeth I’s plan not only to settle in the New World and challenge Spain’s growing influence but also an attempt to reach America’s mid-Atlantic coastline on the other side of the ocean. Upon locating Roanoke, England sent a voyage of more than 100 settlers to go and concur the small colony. The settlers were headed by John White and consisted of men, women, and even children. After settling in Roanoke, the settlers’ supplies were depleted and John White was sent back to England to gather more supplies for the settlers. On his way, a major war broke between England and Spain that required a lot of England’s naval resources. John White finally sailed to Roanoke after the brief war only to find completely no trace of the settlers. All he found was a wooden post craven with the wood “Croatoan”.
The video is a documentary that aims to answer the age old question “What happened to the lost colony of Roanoke?” The video utilizes both geological and archaeological facts to try and uncover the mystery. Josh Bernstein plays the central role in the video. He is charged with the task of finding at least a descendant of the settlers. He starts off by visiting the physical location where archaeologists believe Roanoke existed. They dig samples and use archaeological knowledge and facts to establish what may have happened to the settlers. He then uses a paraglider to try establish the route the settlers may have taken in case the migrated out of the area after finding John White’s ring in an adjacent location. His attempts to establish a route through land, water or air all fail to bear fruits. He results to establishing ancestral links between a descendant from Europe and DNA from John White. This proves successful as a link is established to show that at least one of the settlers did survive the mysterious happenings that destroyed the colony.
This video cemented my thought that it was not possible that all the settlers were destroyed with no remnants. Going forward it would be critical to further research the origins of the word ‘Croatoan’. Establishing the origin of this word could lead historians to uncovering who may be responsible for the disappearance of the settlers.