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.

This journal page covers May 1–2, 1960. Indiana's entry for May 1, 1960, is blank.

In his entry for May 2, 1960, Indiana records that he learned of Caryl Whittier Chessman's execution after he arose that morning. Chessman was sentenced to death under California's version of the "Little Lindbergh Law," which defined kidnapping as a capital offense under certain circumstances. He writes that Marlon Brando was at his vigil, and that "they say now [that] [the] clamor against capital punishment will not die down, but I am dubious."

Indiana also notes another studio visit from his landlord, Bernard Schonbrun, who "just wanted [to] see his painting. More talk on [the] justification of my confidence (no doubt, re[garding] [the] price of [the] painting)." He also records having dinner at the D/H (the Seamen's Church Institute, often referred to as the Doghouse), stretching a 72 by 60-inch canvas, and receiving a call from Mrs. Edwin Goldberg (the chair of the Scarsdale Studio Workshop, where he taught art classes) regarding a show. The workshop's Annual Art Exhibition would take place from May 14–15, 1960, and included two works by Indiana: Red County and Green County (an early state of Columbus: The Geography of the Memory).