Toto was first established in 1855, after the Toto Post Office opened.[2][3] However, sometime shortly after the 1900s, the Chicago, Indiana and Southern Railroad (NYC) decided to call the depot here Rye.[3][4] Some believed that Rye was north of the tracks as was the depot, and Toto was south of the tracks. Toto was the only mapped area after 1920.[3] The origin of the name Toto is obscure, but it could possibly be of Native American origin.[5]
In 1897, a one-room school was built for $400 on the west side of Range Road, about a block north of Toto Road. The Toto School was closed in the early 1920s.[3]
Toto Post Office was discontinued in 1907.[2]
Toto has a local reputation for an abundance of curio stores, giving it the moniker "Indiana's Bargain Capital".[6]
Toto has also been recognized for being the inspiration for the name of Dorothy's dog, Toto, in the Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum, who resided for a time at nearby Bass Lake.[7]
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