LeGrange’s End of the World
Status: Closed
Parish: Iberville
Location: Bayou Pigeon
Was orginally the Old Indigo Inn, owned by Aurelian Berthelot, who sold it in 1958 to Clifford LeGrange- who remodeled it himself and reopened it in 1959 as the End of the World. Dancehall remodelled in 1963 to double the size. Capacity 200. Live music was seasonal- winter brought all locals out for a Saturday night dance where everyone dressed up. Summer brought the seasonal campers and some locals for Sunday afternoon dances. Food was also served there- crawfish and catfish were the specialtyies. Flood in 1973 impacted the building. The owner’s teenage son died that year as well. Both played instrumental parts in the closing. Erwin Babin & band played there regularly in the 50s and 60s. As some pictures reflect, the dancefloor was well worn. The owners used corn meal to make it have a little “slide” for the dancers.
Cliff LeGrange
Type of Place people remember….
Cliff LeGrange
Clifford LeGrange Jr. and his spouse Joy Vicknair, purchased the Indigo Inn at Bayou Pigeon, La. from Mr. Orillian Berthelot. The Indigo Inn was a small Grocery Store, Bar and Dance Hall. Clifford was introduced to Bayou Pigeon by his two brother in Laws who had established camps at Bayou Pigeon and the LaGrange’s quickly became every weekend visitors.
Clifford had a business sense about him and he recognized that something was changing about the retail Seafood Market. Crawfish was replacing all other seafood as a the cash crop and people from the city were coming to Bayou Pigeon to buy Crawfish… in that era it was the closest spot to buy a perishable seafood product for East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville parish, etc. ie., the city folks with money to spend.
Clifford, began to remodel the old Indigo Inn himself. His constant companion was his father, “Pal’ . He added enlarged the grocery store and bar and added living quarters to back of the building. It took one year.
In May of 1959 Clifford moved his spouse Joy and Family (6 kids) to Bayou Pigeon and opened LaGrange’s Camp, End of World Bar and Dancehall.
In 1963, Clifford added a restaurant, covered Pavilion over the borrow canal and picnic grounds between the borrow canal and Grand River. There was wharf and boat dock on the river for water borne customers and fisherman.
Clifford and Joy, introduced a new marketing concept at Bayou Pigeon. The concept of live music and dancing with boiled crawfish. The crawfish boil as we know it today was just getting started. The covered pavilion with loud speakers, a crawfish boiling area and an eating area plus the area with picnic tables were a big success. It ushered in an era of the facilitated family entertainment , live music, dancing and boiled crawfish being served. Families came and spent the whole day.
From 1959 to 1970 the End of the World Restaurant was the first Atchafalaya Swamp Pop Family Entertainment Complex
1959 – 1970
LaGrange’s Camp, End of the World ,Grocery, Bar, Dancehall and Restaurant Bayou Pigeon, LA.