LaOtto (sometimes also spelled as Laotto) is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Swan Township,

Noble County, Indiana Noble County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 47,457. The county seat is Albion. The county is divided into 13 townships which provide local services. Noble County comprises the K ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Located west of the current intersection of Indiana State Road 3 and

Indiana State Road 205 State Road 205 (SR 205) is a State Road in the north-eastern section of the state of Indiana. Running for roughly in a general northeast-southwest direction, it connects the cities and towns of South Whitley, Columbia City and Garrett via ...

, it is 16 miles north of Fort Wayne and is also in proximity to Kendallville and Auburn. It is therefore considered a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

to these cities.

History

LaOtto was established in the 1830s as settlers headed north out of

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

along the Mongoquinong Trail, which would later become Lima Plank Road. From 1856 to 1861, LaOtto was called Simon's Corners, a name taken from the local U.S. Post Office (and so named by cabinet maker and first Postmaster John Miller). Simon's Corners became Simonsville. From 1872 to 1875 it was called Grand Rapids Crossing, because it was the intersection of the north-south Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad and the east-west Eel River Railroad lines and the railroad did not like the name Simonsville. In 1875, the name LaOtto was proposed and petitioned by Lutheran minister Rev. B.F. Shultz and approved by the Noble County commissioners. Though LaOtto is a small

, it played a role in the fight against slavery. LaOtto Wesleyan Church was a stopping point for slaves on the underground railroad during the 1850s and 1860s. Pastor Aaron Worth was a "conductor" on the underground railroad. Originally having State Road 3 go through its town's limits, in 1990 a bypass and upgrade of State Road 3 was complete, and it now has a path just east of the town's limits.

Schools

LaOtto's children attend schools in the

East Noble School Corporation East Noble School Corporation is the largest of the four school corporations in Noble County, Indiana, covering the eastern third of the county. It includes the areas of Orange, Wayne, Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * ...

. Elementary (Kindergarten-5th grade) students now attend Avilla Elementary School, in

Avilla, Indiana Avilla is a town in Allen Township, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,401 at the 2010 census. History A post office has been in operation at Avilla since 1846. According to Ronald L. Baker, the town may be named ...

, after LaOtto Elementary School closed in 2008.East Noble Challenge 09.pdf
/ref> Middle school (6th-8th grade) students attend East Noble Middle School, in

Kendallville, Indiana Kendallville is a city in Wayne Township, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 9,862 at the 2010 census. History Kendallville was laid out in 1849. The city was named for Amos Kendall, 8th United States Postmaster Gen ...

. High school (9th-12th grade) students attend East Noble High School, also in

References

Noble County MapHistory of LaOtto, Noble County Answer Book, Kendallville Publishing Company
''Note: This is a .pdf document, and is on pages 13 & 14 in the 2007 edition.'' {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Noble County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana