Scott Street Toner Avenue - Lake Shore Dr. Maps and History  

The name has not always been "Lake Shore Drive" before that it had 2 names. Toner Avenue which was from State Street going east and Scott street going west.

The original and main area of the business district of Lakeshore Dr. (originally Scott & Toner Ave) and spans from Lakeview Street to Papas and the motel or Inn. It lies across from Lake Maxinkuckee and the Town Park and up and around the corner to include an area formerly known as "Bunker Hill' where the water tower now stands. Over the years has expanded up to the corner of State Roads 10 And before the trek back in time other areas over the years had 'spot' buisnesses as listed below.

Views of Lakeshore in 2006

Some ads of Culver businesses that appeared in various newspapers etc. of the time are on the side bar menu. This is just a rough beginning of this listings. With no addresses in the early years just the street name it is hard to place them correctly becasue most were referenced as "arcoss from the depot"; "near the depot"; and "west of the depot".

If those people relating oral history and they just happen to be the ICONS of the community what they say goes down as TRUE actually FACT of the towns & lakes history whether they can doucment it or not till someone uncovers the MYTH and DOCUMENTS it. Do you remember anything of the lake & Culver and the past years? Won't you help?

Here is some interesting facts stated about the orginial property owners of the north side of the lake:

Zina and Emma Duddleson

.....

The grandfather of Zina was a Civil War veteran and a farmer. His later years were lived in the Argos vicinity.

The great-grandfather originially owned the Thomas Houghton farm to the Maxinkuckee Lake on the west side of Burr Oak Road. The land now occupied by the Vandalia Park, was part of this farm and was given to Dr. Durr in payment for *medical services. The consideration was $50., as great grandfather Duddleson considered it of little farming value. ..... Marcella White - 1836 - 1986 Marshall County History,Taylor Publishing Co., 1986, Publication # 357 of 1422, Marshall County Historical Society pg. 153

Another old timer of Culver who established the Toner Addition or Culver and had Toner Street named after him was: Albert D. Toner It is doubtful that he resided in Marmont/Culver; that only he pruchased the acreage as a speculative investment because of the talk of builing the Vandalia Railroad int Marmont and then further northward to South Bend.

The first two additions to make up the Lakshore Drive area were:

February 13, 1884, Peter Allerding filed what he called the "Vandalia Addition to said Union Town." The addition is in the west half of the south forty acres of section 16, 32, I, except Thomas K. Houghton's corrected addition; also except three acres known as Bowles lot, and three acres immediately south of the same. Said addition being divided into 24 lots, and numbered from 1 to 24 inclusive; also 5 outlots and numbered from 1 to 5 inclusive. The length and breadth of said lots being indicated by figures on said plat; also the width of all the streets and alleys.

On the 5th day of August, 1886, Albert D. Toner made an addition to the Vandalia addition, said addition being laid out of lots Nos. 3, 4 and 5 of school subdivision of Section 16, 32, I, commencing at the northwest corner of said lot No.3; said additions being divided as shown on plat in 13 lots and numbered from 1 to 13 inclusive; and also eleven outlots, numbered from 1 to 31 inclusive. The length and breadth of said lots being indicated by figures on said plat; also the width of all streets and alleys are so indicated, except from this plat outlots 2, 7, 8, 10 and 11.


The open land to the east of the Toner Avenue commercial district was owned the railroad company, as was the park and beach along the lakeshore just to the south. Toner Avenue hillside overlooked the lake, and was a popular picnic spot for tourists. After it cut back on Sunday excursions to Culver in the early years of the twentieth century, the railroad company sought to divest itself of the hillside. In 1916, the company sold the land to Samuel Medbourn, a local businessman, who platted it as Medbourn's First Addition to the Town of Culver The neighborhood was platted in 1916 by Samuel Medbourn, a leading local businessman - this included Forrest Place whose original name was "Helen Street" and is refered to as the "Bungalow district".

Not all of Scott & Toner Avenue was represented by the Sanborn Fire Maps of 1906 & 1914 maps! Missing is the detailing of the buildings around the 2 depots that existed the first on sat further east almost or in front of Osborn's Mini Mary today from calculations it is assumed this is where the Colonnade stood until it burned. The next Know business was the Lake Shore Garage

This very "infamous" area was refered to in the location of the businessess as "One Block West of the Depot" in all the nortious ads of the 1880's. 1890's and early 1900's. I personally can't imagine why this area with its depot, hotels and restaurants was not detailed in the Sanborn maps. Especially since it was prone to fires.

Until 1891 it did not extend any further than what was known as 'Bunker Hill' as this quip was found in the annual railroad reports of that year:

The expenditure of ...over the previous year includes costs of litigation as follows:..; over opening roadway north of station at Marmont $567.25 - pgs. 38-40 Fourth-Fourth Annual Report of the President and Directors of the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road Company to the Stockholders for the Year Ending November 30 1891 By Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Company



1904 - Aug. 25 - AN ORDINANCE
Providing for the construction of a sidewalk on the North Side of Toner Avenue and in front of the East Sixty Feet of the West One Hundred Twenty-six Feet of Lot Five of Toner's Addition to the Vandalia Addition to the Town of Culver City, Marshall Coubty, Indiana.

SECTION 1.
Be it ordained by the Board of Trustees of the town of Culver City in Marshall County, State of Indiana, that public convenience requires the construction of a sidewalk on the north side of Toner Avenue in said town in front of the east sixty feet of the west one hundred twenty-six feet of lot five of Toner's addition to the Vandalia Addition to the original plat of Union Town, later called Marmont, and now called Culver City: and, further, that said sidewalk be constructed at the expense of the owners of said lot.

SECTION 2.
Said sidewalk shall be constructed of good Portland cement, thoroughly mixed with clean, sharp sand, one part cement and two parts sand, laid on a foundation of not less than four inches of grouting, one part cement and five parts gravel and laid with a straight smooth surface, Hush with the walk at each end thereof, and made five feet in width.

The walk shall be completed within thirty days from the passage of this ordinance, all to the satisfaction of the Board of Trustees of said town. If the owners of said lot failto lay the sidewalk within said time, then the town marshal of said town shall let the work of constructing the sidewalk to the lowest responsible bidder, after first giving ten days notice of the letting of the work by posting up written notices thereof in three publie places in said town for that length of time; and, when said work is completed, said marshal shall report the cost thereof to this Board, and the expense thereof shall be paid out of the treasury of the town.

SECTION 3. This ordinance shall be in force at the end of ten days from its publication in one issue of the Culver Citizen. Passed the 23rd day of August, A. D., 1904.

S. E. MEDBOURN. President,
S. C. SHILLING,
J. O. FERRIER,
Board of Trustees of the Town of Culver City. Indiana.
Attest: WILLIAM COOK, Clerk.




1906 The Sanborn fire maps of area of Scott Street, the area of Toner Avenue was not depicted on the map; now Lake Shore Drive



1907 - Oct 24 - A Bad Road.
Complaint comes from drivers about the condition of the road on Bunker Hill, and from the foot of the hill to the depot.

The surface of the road is in bad shape and work ought to be done on it at once!

The town is responsible for the maintenance of a portion of the road at the foot of the hill, and the township for the remainder

Besides leveling and a dressing of gravel all the way from the depot to the top of the hill, two or three feet of the crown of the hill should be taken off and scraped into the hollow beyond.

One man says in his earnestness: "I'll contribute money myself, if necessary, to get that piece of road fixed; it will save I me a it will same me a good many dollars do so. I've traveled the roads all oyer the state, but that Bunker Hill road is positively the worst I've found anywhere.


1907 - Nov 14 - The work done on Bunker Hill places the road in excellent condition. The hill has been but down nearly three feet and filled at the bottom. It is no longer a terror to teamsters and auto drivers.

Here is an enlarged portion of what is to be the business district as represented by the 1908 plat section of the Toner Street now Lakeshore Drive area On it is annotated some of the business of the past as to their known location  - 



Lake Shore Drive business locations Past & present



Others have yet to be determined as many were famous for the "One block west of the Depot" in their ads and business cards but of course one must realize there was no street number system till late 1920's!!!!! and maybe even into the 1930's.



1914 The Sanborn fire maps of area of Scott Street, the area of Toner Avenue was not depicted on the map; now Lake Shore Drive





Paving (Brick) of Lakeshore Drive then Scott. It was noted on the Sanborn Fire Map of November 1914 that the brick pavement being laid on Main & Scott Streets

1922 map of area if one looks real close the locations of businesses are listed there the theater is located on the south side of the street at Lakeshore & Harding court (one block east of its present location!) the two hotels are marked at Lakeshore & Harding and Lakeshore & State; The once Kreuzberger's Park and Saloon building is marked in lot No. 7; along with several unnamed business along then Toner Ave.; the Lakeshore Garage is named as with the depot and its canopies. The Backwards "L" at the end of the park was the originial boat house or beach lodge (not the one that exists today). Here is an enlarged view of those located within the famous "one block west of depot" in ads and one business cards; and some of the business locations as of the 1922 plat map even tho not named but only by type:



1924 Sanborn fire maps of area of Scott & Toner Avenue now Lakeshore Drive



1926 - Jul 8 - Petition Out Again "Stop and GO" Sign
Two petitions are being handed around among propery owners of the community askkking that the "Stop and Go" sign on Main Street be discontinued.

The petitions do not ask that the post be taken out but thatthe "Stop and Go" part be discontinured.

As a remedy for the traffic situation, the petition asks that Main Stree and Lake Shore Drive be designated as theough streets and that all vevhicles coming on to those strees from cross streets, be made to stop, this giving vechiles on Main stree and Lake SHore Dr. the right-of-way.

These petitions are placed in the two drug stores wher they my be signed.

They will be presented to the Town Board at the next regular meeting, Aug. 2nd.
and tho listed on the 1934 maps as Lake p[-/Shore - it is stated that the name changed official in 1926 - from Toner Avenue and Scott Avenue to Lakeshore Dr.

1936 - Jul 8 - Work men...will next improve the west end of Lake Shore Dr. beyond the COmmunity Building.

The 1937 Sanborn Fire map finds that is is labeled under both names:





2006 - Lakeshore drive views



2023 - Bidding is being accepted to widen LakeShore from Sr. Rd. 10 to Academy Rd. to include sidewalks, curbing, and drainage. The work will include concrete curbs, gutters, driveway reconstruction, street light relocation and storm sewer.