[4] The township had been organized while it was part of Houghton County.

It was one of the four original townships of Baraga County when it was set off from Houghton in 1875.

It is named for "Spurr Mountain", the site of an iron ore mine, first named the "Spurr Mountain Mining Company", organized in 1872.

Operations ceased in 1878, and then resumed again in 1881 under a reorganized "Spurr Iron Mining Company".

[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 159.0 square miles (411.9 km2), of which 150.8 square miles (390.6 km2) is land, and 8.2 square miles (21.3 km2) (5.16%) is water.