Lost Mysteries: Black Rock

When the term Black Rock is first stated on Lost, it seems to describe a location on the island. While this is technically correct, when we see Black Rock in season 1's Exodus, question after question pops in our heads.

So the Black Rock is a trading ship that was carrying slaves, who were shackled and chained up. They also carried a lot of dynamite. They just so happened to shipwreck on the island. Of course its shipwrecked on the beach, right? Nope, it can be found in the middle of the jungle. Weird. But just par the course on this island.

So what's the deal with the Black Rock? Where did it come from and where was it going? How long has it been on the island? And most importantly, how does it tie into the overall mystery of the island?

Magnus Hanso is said to be the owner/captain of the vessel. On the blast door map, the Black Rock is identified as the final resting place of Magnus. So is this how the Hanso Foundation and/or Dharma came to learn about the island? Or is the Magnus Hanso information more for the online/alternate reality games like the Lost Experience?

With all the connections we seen so far on the show and the craziness dealing with time, there's a ton of speculation that we've seen one or more of the Black Rock's crew before. This guy, who may or may not be aging ? or maybe this one, who seems to have some kind of obsession with the ship? He did buy the ship's ledger at auction (but how did it ever get off the island anyway and what is in it?).

The Black Rock has deep roots in the mystery of Lost and many of our biggest questions can be tied in with it. There is a lot more to the Black Rock and seasons 5 & 6 will likely shed some light on how it landed on our favorite island.