The lost colonists of Roanoke left behind a clue about their fate, the word 'Croatoan' carved into a tree. Who were the Croatans? What were their lives like? How can we see this whole story ...

1845 illustration depicting colonist John White discovering the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590 ...

One Reddit theory posits that From's Town may be the Lost Colony of Roanoke. One of the only clues left behind was a tree with the word "Croatoan" carved into it.

John White depicted finding a tree carved with ‘Croatoan’. Picture: Stock Montage/Getty Images ...

An illustration depicting John White and others finding a tree carved with the words “Croatoan” on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, in 1590. Getty Images ...

Stock image: Illustration depicts John White (c. 1540 - c1593) and others as they find a tree into which the word "CROATOAN" had been carved on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, in 1590.

The colonists vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the word “CROATOAN” carved into a tree. Today, visitors can explore the eerie Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and join ghost ...

(See "America's Lost Colony.") The settlers, who arrived in 1587, disappeared in 1590, leaving behind only two clues: the words "Croatoan" carved into a fort's gatepost and "Cro" etched into a tree.

She and her husband Scott, a local teacher, founded the Croatoan Archaeological Society —named after the island’s native inhabitants—in 2009 and have sponsored Horton’s annual digs ever since.

The only evidence they found was the words “CROATOAN” and “CRO” carved into a tree at the colony’s border, which likely referred to Croatoan Island, which was about 50 miles (80 ...