Dafter Township is located in the central portion of Chippewa County. The Township encompasses a geographic area of 47.9 square miles. Dafter was initially founded as a lumber settlement in the late 1870s and was later organized in 1894 after splitting off from Bruce Township.The name of the post office was changed to Dafter at this time. The Township was a station on the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad. Today, Dafter is still part of a critical transportation corridor, as I-75 transects the Township.

A majority of the Township residents commute to work in other cities, Townships, villages or county’s. The City of Sault Ste. Marie, located 24 miles to the north, provides jobs for many of the Township residents. Farming is also a major source of employment in Dafter Township. Thanks to an extensive variety of livestock and crops, Dafter farms help feed the residents of the Eastern Upper Peninsula.