The first settlement in Nevada Township was by William Allen, a Massachusetts man, in the southwest quadrant of section 29, an area later called Six Mile Grove.

Sometime between that time and 1858, ten men settled in that same section and it was the first permanent settlement in the township.

These men erected a mill in section 31 on Otter Creek, a tributary of the Cedar River.

[3] Nevada Village was platted in section 2 and a mill was built on Otter Creek but there are no entries on the title record.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.7 square miles (95.2 km2), all land.