This theory largely depends upon oral traditions and unsubstantiated reports about Beechland, as well as a 1651 map that depicts a sassafras tree near the Alligator River. A significant problem is that Raleigh supposedly planned a sassafras farm in 1587 to capitalise on a dramatic increase in crop prices, so that he could quickly compensate for the great expense of the failed 1585 colony. This overlooks the fact that Richard Grenville's privateering recovered the cost of the 1585 expedition. Additionally, sassafras prices did not skyrocket in value until the late 1590s, well after the establishment of the 1587 colony.