Tattooing has been part of Colorado Springs far longer than most people realize, shaped quietly by artists like Colorado Nick Wisner, Leon Miller, Rocky Albin, Snake Yates, Alexander the Great, and others who worked in back rooms, pool halls, and small storefronts across the city. Colorado Springs has always been a major military town, and the steady flow of servicemen from Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, and nearby installations created a natural connection between tattooers and the soldiers who passed through their doors. Tattoos became a way for servicemen to mark time, identity, and experience, and artists like Colorado Nick helped define that visual language here in the Springs. Yet despite their influence, early tattooers often worked in the shadows, practicing a mysterious, tightly held craft that the general public did not always understand. Their stories were rarely recorded, and much of this history faded as the city grew around it.
Our new book, Colorado Nick, was created to help bring that history back into view. It collects rare photographs, flash sheets, letters, and long forgotten details about Nick’s life and career, offering the first in-depth look at one of the region’s most influential tattooers. Nick worked quietly but left a deep mark on the culture of this city. His story also reflects the larger story of early tattooing itself. It is a folk tradition carried forward by self-taught outsiders who built their own tools, carved out their own spaces, and shaped a craft that would eventually reach every corner of American life.
This book represents the result of more than a decade of research and it is the most challenging project I have ever taken on. When I first started digging into Colorado Nick’s story, information was sparse and scattered, much like Nick himself. His flash and personal history were spread across states, old collections, and fragments of local memory. Over time, that search led me far beyond Nick, uncovering stories about other tattooers who worked along Colorado’s Front Range and revealing how interconnected their lives and careers really were. What began as an attempt to document one obscure and overlooked tattooer slowly grew into a much larger portrait of the craft in this region. In many ways, this book became my love letter to my hometown and a way to preserve a history that has long lived in the margins.
We are proud to announce that the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum will open its exhibition Colorado Nick: A Legacy of Tattoo Art in Colorado Springs on Saturday, February 28, 2026 from 10:00AM-5:00PM, which will also mark the official release of the Colorado Nick book. The exhibit will run for an entire year and will be free to the public. This event will bring together the families of several tattooers featured in the book, creating a rare moment where their stories can be shared with the community that shaped and sustained them. The release party will also feature live tattooing from Scott Huttenmaier and Nate Hudak, who will be tattooing select designs pulled directly from the book. Their presence connects the city’s tattooing past with its present, showing how these early artists continue to influence tattooers working today.
This project is about more than one artist. It is about honoring the people who practiced a misunderstood craft, documenting a history that nearly disappeared, and giving Colorado Springs a deeper look at a creative tradition woven into the fabric of this place. We are excited to share this work with our community and to finally give Nick and his contemporaries the recognition they long deserved.