Red Cedar

08/22/20

Every town has its ghost stories: its abandoned buildings and haunted homes and graveyards you don't go near at night. Every town has its unsolved mysteries: disappearances and murders and vicious attacks. In some towns, those stories are overblown, and those mysteries have logical explanations.   Red Cedar is not one of those towns...at least according to the local tourism board.   "The spirits are very real," they will assure you, as they point you to shops where you can buy knickknacks and t-shirts, "and very dangerous." And for a reasonable price, you can learn all about them in one of Red Cedar's famous ghost tours.   For better or worse, their pitch works. Every year, waves of tourists flood through Red Cedar, keeping the former logging town afloat. Every year, the tourists are warned to stick to guided tours and regular business hours. Every year, some of them laugh it off. But behind the residents' exploitation of their town's reputation lies a deep streak of sincere belief. "The spirits are very real," they will warn you, as you blithely step off the approved paths, "and very dangerous."