Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

The first journal entry on this page covers August 9, 1961. In this entry Indiana bemoans that his money situation is getting worse, and that he hasn't even paid rent yet. He records not hearing from gallerist Rolf Nelson regarding the sale of a construction, but that he went to work on its base anyway. He writes that the work was formerly a construction with a single orange orb that he cut down some time ago expressly for this purpose.  

The second entry, for August 10, 1961, includes a sketch of the central circle of The Calumet, with the comment "the gesso white of The Calumet becomes yellow." He also records that he had yet to hear from Rolf Nelson.