The scythe works closed in 1889 and, in 1896, the village was renamed in honor of John P. Elkins, a physician who had served the community from 1875 to 1888.

Still in their twenties, Messer and Phillips had learned the business in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, while Colby provided the water rights but no capital.

The scythe works operated for over fifty years, employed almost a hundred workers, and shipped products around the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe.

By October 1888 the grinding and hammering were silenced, as the industry moved closer to raw materials and distribution centers, and as agriculture became more mechanized.

Within a year and a half, the village's population dropped from 300 to 75, and the area began a slow transition to other water-related enterprises: tourism and recreation.