As she meandered the small Orchard Prairie Cemetery, Ann Jones was startled to see she recognized some of the last names engraved into the headstones.

They’re the same surnames of some of the kids with whom she’s worked as a paraeducator at the Orchard Prairie School District, which enrolls 79 kids on a secluded grassy hilltop about 20 minutes from downtown Spokane.

“It’s weird to walk around here and see some of the kids’ names,” Jones said.

Though geographically close to Spokane, the prairie has maintained its individuality with detailed recorded history from residents, the oldest operating schoolhouse in the state and a tiny cemetery where lay many of the area’s historical icons.

Each year, in observance of Memorial Day, about 40 students take the mile-plus trek from their two-schoo

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