I Spent My Summer in the Cemetery. There, I Found Strange Solace

In June, my family and I hiked out to a pioneer cemetery near Duluth, Minn., along the cascading St. Louis River. The wall of trees opened onto a clearing that was studded with crumbling tombstones and strange, squat obelisks. “Why are we here again?” my 9-year-old asked. She has auburn hair chopped at the jawline and believes fervently in magic. At her question, my 14- and 16-year-olds sighed and…