[3] Riley Township was organized in 1841 and named for John Riley, a mixed-race Chippewa whose father had bought land in the area in 1836 and given John a lease on the land for six cents a year.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,046 people, 1,020 households, and 854 families residing in the township.

12.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The Masters Road / Belle River Bridge was built in the 1930s.

It is a representative example of bridges produced by Depression-era relief programs.