Wikimedia CommonsJohn White’s depiction of his 1590 expedition to Roanoke ... the word “Croatoan” carved into a fort’s gatepost and the word “Cro” etched into a tree.

The plume from Roanoke Island “put us in good hope ... As the men climbed a sandy bank, they encountered a tree with the carved letters “C R O.” This was, the governor explained, a ...