The town was named after the first postmaster and his partner, a Mr. Lee.
The Post office opened on December 1, 1903, and closed on June 6, 1964.
The first postmaster was W.O. Dore, who held the position until 1912.

During the early 1900s—shortly before Alberta officially became a province in 1905—pioneers flooded into central Alberta under the Dominion Lands Act, establishing homesteads, mixed farms, and local school districts. Dorenlee served as a local gathering point providing a post office, local trading/store facilities, and a focal point for the surrounding farm families.

Like numerous rural postal hamlets across the Canadian prairies, Dorenlee's prominence faded as transportation networks improved and rural populations shifted:The local post office eventually closed on June 6, 1915. Over decades, the local school, store, and distinct identity gradually dissolved into the broader municipal framework of Camrose County and local agricultural lands.