[1] Located west of the current intersection of Indiana State Road 3 and Indiana State Road 205, it is 16 miles north of Fort Wayne and is also in proximity to Kendallville and Auburn.

LaOtto was established in the 1830s as settlers headed north out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, along the Mongoquinong Trail, which would later become Lima Plank Road.

In 1875, the name LaOtto was proposed and petitioned by Lutheran minister Rev.

[3][4] Though LaOtto is a small unincorporated community, 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.