Chapter 9

After buying land in the area of Detroit to begin settling in, he began building homes in the city of Detroit, and farmland in what is now Dearborn and Ann Arbor areas. Daniel had bought the land to bring his people to; he also began looking for investment opportunities.

Daniel made it clear the Trust would pay you but until the Trust got into new businesses it would not be paying much more than basic needs, as it was building houses as fast as it could. So he asked people to seek outside employment as it would help to put monies in Trust member’s pockets during the northern transition. Also it would help get the lay of the land.

He needed to know who the movers and shakers were; no need to step on toes before he had to if he had to. Plus knowing the weaknesses of others may come in handy, and was always a plus. Daniel wanted to be here in Michigan what he had been in Mississippi, the guy you wanted as a friend, as you knew his pocket was too deep to try and take over his company. Any business a Trust Member found weak Daniel intended to help, and or take control off, all the while helping said business to prosper.

And once you were in your home you were not going to be paid until your house was paid for, unless your job was in the Trust, and you drew a reduced salary. Although your home wasn’t free it was at a discount price. It wasn’t near the cost of what an outsider would pay for the same house built on non-Trust land. In other words the Trust made money on everything it could right now, as reserves would be put to the test as Daniel started investing in all types of businesses.

Daniel bought several construction companies, bought into one sawmill and bought another sawmill lock stock and barrel. With all the wagons they had from the trip up from the south, Daniel formed the Mason Trust Cartage Company. Between hauling wood to construction sites, food goods for the families, and merchant’s goods, and soon deliveries to businesses as well, the cartage business was busy. As they were building homes, barns, and several warehouses all at the same time, as they had less than six months to be enclosed before winter. Daniel chuckled more than a few times as they were in the freight business down south, also and it was their beginning here in the north also.

Daniel bought a few Cartage Companies for their existing contracts. Needless to say what his workforce looked like and that security was handled well as they never lost a man, or a woman or a shipment. Not to say they didn’t have a few get wounded as somebody always tries to take the fast money route. Of those that tried, they found the price was real expensive, as it cost them their lives. They came willing to kill so the Cartage Company proved they felt the same way in regards to killing.

They kept any and all valuables divided amongst those on the scene as fairly as possible; most likely sold at the earliest convenience. Daniel only dealt in top notch equipment only as safety and reliability was then and still is a Trust top priority. He also made it clear he wasn’t joining in that foolishness he called the Civil War, any man that chose to join either side for whatever the reason would be paid to leave the Trust $500.00, no matter the color of the man. Daniel was willing to pay this fee because a man had a right to do this if it was in his heart. But he and his family was permanently out of the Trust because whichever side won couldn’t go after the Trust claiming we were sponsoring the war effort period.

Also any man leaving had to make provisions for his family as the Trust wasn’t taking care of any war widows; again protecting the Trust from either side trying to get at the Trust. It is the main reason that they had all moved from the southin the first place. Daniel viewed this as some “Dumb Shit” that cost him his way of life having to leave Mississippi. After entrusting the Construction and Cartage businesses to his brothers, Daniel set out to get into the corporate world of the north.

The way doors were slamming in his face Daniel wondered if he was a black man and he just didn’t know it. The prejudice he had been shown was shocking to him. He was glad he did what he could for the slaves he had saved more each day.

It took about a month to really see how things worked, and be where he could run into those that needed him. Of course the lessons he learned seeing how John D. Rockefeller did business was like going to school. He knew he also wanted in the oil business too, as it looked like a gold mine if half of what they dreamed it could do came true. He backed several men from 3 different states and bought land with oil pools on it. Mason Oil was born; Daniel did this mostly independent of the Trust. With his oil businesses and his investments of AT&T and Western Union, his brothers laughed at him as he was spending his fortune with not much coming back yet. But the Trust and all the brothers independently bought into Wells Fargo Bank, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Browning Arms Co., and Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co. Daniel also invested the Trust and independently in E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (Better known a DuPont) Daniel also invested in the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway as it was the local railroad.

“This satchel was left by Daniel in 1905 for safe keeping; also this was his last visit to the reservation. In a letter addressed to the next Daniel explaining that these stocks could not be sold as the original certificates were not available until now.” Nightwing said to Teddy.

Just about any one of these certificates was now a serious fortune all by themselves, but as a group lawd have mercy. The original Daniel had bought them all meaning they were ground floor purchases or very near the ground floor. Daniel explained that his target was to own no less than 10% of any company he invested in, Mr. Rockefeller taught him 51% is what you wanted, but was not always possible.

When Standard Oil was formed John D. Rockefeller was the only one to hold more stock than Daniel, though he gave John his proxy vote.

These certificates wear the names of many worldwide companies such as Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (Now CSX), Ford, GM, Chrysler, AT&T, Western Union, Warner Bros. (Time Warner), Standard Oil Co. Inc. (Now BP), Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Browning Arms Co., Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co., E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DuPont), Wells Fargo, General Electric, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), Sears Roebuck and Co., Carhartt Inc, S.S. Kresge Corporation (Kmart) before the 1912 incorporation. Were among the many things Daniel invested in after leaving Mississippi his motto was don’t put all your eggs in one basket. He had long ago learned if you have what the common person will need or want to buy you will be much better off than trying to cater to the wealthy, you will never be broke.