Established in 1899, the
original Dorena Post Office was named for Dora and Rena, two girls in
town. The townsite was located near the center of the present
reservoir. Although small, Dorena offered many services including two
schools, a church, dance hall, post office, store, blacksmith shop, and
grocery. A portion of the railway and some of these buildings were
moved and others were burned prior to the filling of the reservoir in
the 1940s. The old railroad route can be seen along the lake bottem
during winter drawdown.
