Pope Valley in Napa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Littos Hubcap Ranch
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
1. Litto's Hubcap Ranch Marker
California Registered
Historical Landmark No. 939
Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with SPACES (Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments), a non-profit education corporation April 4, 1987.
Erected 1987 by California State Department of Parks and Recreation; SPACES. (Marker Number 939.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks series list.
Location. 38° 38.207′ N, 122° 27.192′ W. Marker is in Pope Valley, California, in Napa County. It is on Pope Valley Road 2 miles north of Howell Mountain Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6654 Pope Valley Road, Pope Valley CA 94567, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in Wine Country, and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least
this page online
More about this marker. This is one of nearly a dozen California Historical Landmarks with the number 939 — Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments (Thematic).
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
2. Litto's Hubcap Ranch Marker - wide view
To find this marker - drive along Pope Valley Road. When you see some hubcaps hanging on the fence, then you know you're close.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
3. Litto's Hubcap Ranch - Entrance
The driveway entering the Hubcap Ranch is lined with, uh, hubcaps.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
4. "Lito the Pope Valley Hubcap King" - sign to the right of driveway
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
5. Litto's Hubcap Ranch - view from the south of the driveway
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
6. Ooh, look - shiny things!
The marker says more than 2,000 hubcaps. Various web pages suggest the Ranch's number of hubcaps is now up to 5,000. It's a lot of hubcaps, any way you look at it.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
7. About a quarter mile of hubcaps line the east side of Pope Valley Road
One thing the pictures don't capture is the sound of hubcaps. When there is no traffic and a slight breeze, the distinctive, although not loud, noise of hubcaps rubbing or banging against the fence wires can be heard. It's something between a crinkling noise (almost like tinfoil) and pie pans being tapped.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 9, 2011
8. The Magic of Hubcaps...
So one day sometime in the 1930's, Litto Damonte sets on his fence a hubcap he found on the road, hoping the owner would see and retrieve it. Decades pass and....
Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 3,008 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on May 1, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 12, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 4, 5. submitted on April 13, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 6. submitted on April 12, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 7, 8. submitted on April 13, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
