AFTON, Wyo. — Everyone seemed to agree there was just one other time in this town's 99-year history that it had known such upheaval.
"Only thing even close had to be the earthquake of '94," said Jerry Nelson, leaning out of the combine he was driving.
He was cutting the barley fields of Reed and Virginia Gardner because the Gardners happened to be away in Sydney watching their young Samson, Rulon Gardner, the Orion of Star Valley. Rulon Gardner had gone "Siberian Bear" hunting and whipped the once-invincible Russian wrestler, Alexander Karelin, to claim one of the most stunning gold medals in Olympic history.
"Rulon made an earthquake of his own over there," said Kendall Call, owner of the Print Star shop, where they were making a red-white-and-blue banner proclaiming, "Welcome Rulon Gardner, Olympic Gold Medalist." The banner will stretch across the "World's Largest Elkhorn Arch" over Washington Street, Afton's main drag.
"Afton's claim to fame before Rulon — our answer to the place with the biggest ball of twine," Call said, nodding toward the 18-foot-high arch made of 3,000 wapitielk antlers.
But now Rulon Gardner, 29, stood at the epicenter of the sports world as commentators compared his victory to the U.S. hockey team's 1980 upset of the former Soviet Union. With his 1-0 "Miracle on the Mat," Gardner defeated three-time Greco-Roman Olympic gold medalist and nine-time world champ Karelin, who hadn't lost in his 13-year career.
The news spread through a milky way of dairy farms and alfalfa fields in Star Valley, way before folks rose to a dawn with an extra golden glow in this community of 1,481, elevation 6,134 feet, near the Bridger Teton National Forest.
The 6.1 quake of Feb. 3, 1994, had struck at 2:05 a.m., and it was just about that time Wednesday morning that people started yelling at one another over the phone:
"Rulon won the gold! Rulon won the gold!"
"My grandpa came screaming into my room at 2:30. I thought the house was on fire," said Jessica Gardner, 15, daughter of Rollin, Rulon's brother, and his wife, Tammy, among 16 Gardners in Sydney.
Jessica was one of four kids left behind with their grandfather, Lew Lamb, to tend to the farm chores, and that's exactly what Tyler Gardner, 13, thought was the commotion.
"I thought I was late getting up late to milk the cows," Tyler said of the "65-70" Holsteins he and Tammy have risen each morning at 4 to milk before school.
Then, Jessica said, Grandpa began calling everyone he could think of. Aunts, uncles, cousins, friends.
"He even called the fire department and the police at 3 in the morning," Jessica said.
Grandpa Lamb had little on the rest of Afton.
"You could see lights flipping on at 3 all across the valley," said Connie Day, a health and physical education teacher who taught Rulon at Star Valley High School. "No way anyone was sleeping."
At the high school, where 15 Class 3A state wrestling championship banners hang — one Rulon helped win in 1987-88 — students and faculty tried grasping the wonder of a former grappler for the Star Valley Braves winning it all on the other side of the world.
"It is so totally righteous," said Danielle Kennington, 16. "The fact he had a hard life on the farm and rose up to take the gold is just crazy."
"The man is a stone stud. Everyone here knew it, and now everyone everywhere knows it," said Alex Tippets, a junior on the current wrestling team.
"Rulon RULES," screeched a flock of students striding out the front door. Every other kid seemed to be wearing a gray "Rulon 2000 Olympics" T-shirt, bought at a demolition derby, one of numerous fund-raisers helping fly the Gardners down under.
Bill Hoopes, freshman coach when Rulon rolled through school, spoke of Rulon being in his "resources" class for special-ed kids. Rulon had a learning disability, struggling with language and writing, but he turned a potential negative to his advantage.
"He learned hard work and repetition make a difference. These are the principles he used in his wrestling career," Hoopes said of Rulon's starring at Ricks College and the University of Nebraska, where he earned a degree in health and physical education.
Hoopes spoke of Rulon's stepping aside as he began to overtake big brother Reynold in his junior year, giving Reynold a chance to win a state championship.
Star Valley assistant principal Richard Hoopes, Bill's cousin, who coached wrestling 20 years, told of Rulon's enduring taunts of "Fatso" in elementary school and carrying the moniker "Tiny" in the 1989 Star Valley yearbook but never coming close to picking a fight.
"These things tell you the kind of kid Rulon is — just a giant, kind guy," Richard Hoopes said.
He was the guy for whom city officials were busy planning a triumphal return.
"Next week. Parades. Barbecues. Kids out of school. Podium under the antler arch," said Mayor Jerry Hansen, who owns local radio station KRSV and spent "nearly all day" fielding interviews from places as far-flung as St. Petersburg, Fla.
In and out of the shops along Washington Street, folks were already celebrating.
"Salt of the earth, the whole family. That's why you feel so good for them," Douglas McCaskill, who runs Afton Bowling Lanes, said while sipping coffee in the Golden Spur Cafe.
"Time to Celebrate. Olympic Gardner Gold. Aussie Wowie," said the sign outside Hasting Gift and Ace Hardware.
It was time to gather round a big-screen TV for about 70 folks at the Old Afton School House building, which Bill Hoopes has turned into a community "playhouse" for local kids.
They watched the NBC tape of Rulon and the Russian tugging at one another. Watched Rulon raise his hand in victory. Heard him thank God, as he had so many times at his Star Valley Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Watched as he did an exultant cartwheel, then a somersault.
"He perfected that move at Star Valley. Had to, to pass P.E.," Richard Hoopes yelled.
Every time NBC host Bob Costas mentioned, Afton, Wyo., deafening whoops seemed to roll to the ends of 40-mile long Star Valley.
When Rulon sang the anthem, 70 people helped him end it by shouting, "Home of the Braves."
"That's how we finish the 'Star Spangled Banner' at games around here," Celeste Jacobson said.
Tears streaked Kristi Schwab's face as she said, "Just to know how sweet the family is, how hard they worked, it tears your heart out."
And Rulon the Bear Killer held every heart in town, along with his medal, in the palm of his gentle hand.
E-MAIL: gtwyman@desnews.com