[1] The work consisted of an existing woodshed and earth added by the artist in order to illustrate the concept of entropy.

Smithson rented a backhoe and transported 20 truck loads of dirt onto the right side of the woodshed until the center beam cracked, marking the beginning of the structure’s decline.

[2] The work was set on fire by an unknown arsonist on March 28, 1975, burning much of the left side and causing the structure's major collapse.

[5] The University Arts Commission recommended in April that the roof and burned portion be removed—mostly citing safety concerns—with the remaining walls, earthen mound, and rafters allowed to continue the natural aging process.

Sometime in mid-1981, the center beam fully broke, and in January 1984, the remaining wooden elements of the structure were quietly removed by the university.