Recreation at Cottage Grove & Dorena Lakes

Picnickers at Dorena Lake, 1964.
Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Recreation has changed the tenor of the communities along the banks of the reservoirs. Dam construction facinated many residents. Evelynne Plueard remembers going to the Cottage Grove damsite before it was finished with her visiting mother and sisters. "We came out for a ride out here around the lake," she recalls. "We walked out in the middle of the lake [area] and there was a sign that said 'keep out' but we walked out anyway. There was an old-fashioned lantern sitting out there and we posed like we were thumbing a ride. We were just being silly."

After the lakes had filled, recreation became even more important for area residents. In the forty years since construction, numerous parks and campgrounds draw locals during the summer months. Fishing and boating are popular activities on these man-made lakes.

Fishing at Cottage Grove and Dorena Lakes. Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Marie Geer observes that "Cottage Grove Lake is jumping from spring till fall. It's really a wonderful thing for people. It's kind of hard on the residents sometimes; it gets awfully noisy out there. And we're kind of in a bowl. The water is down at the bottom and when it rises up on the side, here comes the sound to us. We can often sit on the patio and hear what people on the boats are saying."

Cottage Grove Sentinel Article:
"Local Recreation Group Will Seek to Develop Cottage Grove-Dorena Lakes

Herschel Henderly talks about contemporary recreation on the lakes.