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Before Jamestown, a colony was established along the coast of North Carolina. We know little about this colony other than it came to a mysterious end. It is called the "Lost Colony". Sir Walter Raleigh, an English gentleman and writer paid two navigators to sail to the New World and establish a colony.
The navigators were Phillip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe. They found an island off the coast of present day North Carolina. The land seemed fertile and ready to farm. The Natives were friendly and they took two Indians, Wanchese and Manteo back to England.
In 1587, the following year, Queen Elizabeth gave a grant for the land, and 100 men set sail for Roanoke Island under the leadership of Sir Richard Grenville. A spot was chosen and the men began building a fort and cottages using tall grass reeds to thatch the roofs.
The settlers soon faced serious problems. They planted crops too late in the season. Their friendship with the Indians faded. Each side stole from the other and by the beginning of June, some had died in the conflicts. Times were desperate and the colonists decided to return to England. Sir Grenville decided to leave 15 men behind to safeguard the territory the English had claimed. The men had supplies to last for two years. In 1590 Sir Walter Raleigh decided to set up another settlement. This time he included families with women and children. They intended to settle along the Chesapeake Bay which was further north than Roanoke Island. On their way, they stopped at Roanoke to pick up the crew that had been left there. No one was found. The cottages were still standing, but the fort had been destroyed. All that remained were the letter "CRO" carved on one of the trees. Historians believe the colonists had been killed by the Natives or had been captured by the Spanish since the territory was claimed by both England and Spain. The letters "CRO" may have been short for "Croatoan" the name of a neighboring tribe. More than 200 years passed and a man living in North Carolina noticed that many of the Native people had fair skin, light hair, and blue eyes. There is little evidence to explain what happened the colony at Roanoke and that is why it has become known as "The Lost Colony". | Answer the following question following the suggestions for writing a short answer response. Place the response on page 35 of your notebook. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE HAPPENED TO THE COLONY AT ROANOKE? You are expected to write 4-5 sentences in response to a question. Write your answers in full sentences. Your answer must have 3 parts.
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