La Caroline

Surprisingly, there is so little known by Americans about one of the most dramatic colonial ventures in North America, outside of the Spanish empire. All American history begins with the 'lost' colony and Jamestown. But, ironically, the first instance of religious based (in part) freedom seeking in North America. the first instance of European powers engaged in battle in the new world, the first instance of hospitiable relations between people of two worlds, and the first known instance of alliance between the same to go into battle, all occurred along the banks of the river now known by the name St. John's.

It is shocking that so little interest has been given to uncovering evidence of what is left of that historical saga. Fame is always the driving force, and La Caroline just has never been even a footnote in a largely Anglo-Hispanic presentation of the earliest 'new' world history.

Historians and archaeologists are in part to blame. Past historians poorly interpreted the clues from first hand accounts of the fledgling colony, of which there were many. Latter faculty archaeologists, more interested in the 'low hanging' native American artifacts, only played on the La Caroline thread to get grant money to search in places easily accessed, such as public lands, not ones where sound logic would place the French settlement.

The poor early prognostications, gave no reason for the Corps of Engineers to not proceed with the Fulton Cut in the mid 1940's. The heavy dredging is likely to have caused all evidence of the 'fort' to disappear, as in-situ viewing is critical for archaeological perspectives.

Most of its remnants would have been buried deeper and dispersed, making it harder to discover it. And too, the dredge material was dumped layer upon layer onto the bordering low land shore, such that future residential lots could be sold, putting it further out of reach for investigating.

While virtually all of the first hand testimony logically places the settlement just a bit west of the Fulton landing, it is perhaps testament, for most, that the only known tangible evidence of 16th century French life was a shard of pottery discovered by a relic hunter along the newly made Fulton Cut, before the land was developed.

Yet, where is there enough interest in this mega drama of the 16th century to mount a true evidence hunt for La Caroline, where it matters?