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From: <>
Subject: Roanoke
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 11:45:05 EST

Just for those interested...There was an article in the latest Discover
magazine (at least I think it was Discover - I can't find it to check!) about
this and the other early settlement in VA (the name escapes me at the moment).
They think they know what caused the death/disappearance of all the people.
The trees are the clue. I knew that the number of rings on a tree stump told
you how old it was...but the space between each ring, and the width of the
"ring line" itself, shows how much growth the tree had that particular year.
People who know much more than I {**grin**} have determined that the English
picked the worst possible time to come here. The worst drought in the known
history of the eastern shore began right around the time they got here. If I
remember correctly, they found the sea actually receded from the shore by
taking soil samples. There wouldn't have been enough game to feed the native
peoples, let alone the settlers.
Anyway, that was my interpretation of the article, if you're still
interested in learning more you may want to check Discover's website at
www.discover.com
Hope everyone had a great holiday!
Susan

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