The Claud V. O'Callaghan Early Airmail Collection is a relatively small collection that contains textual and photographic materials relevant to the early days of airmail via Varney Air Lines (VAL) and Contract Air Mail (CAM) Route 5 with the bulk of materials dating from 1924-1929.

Textual materials include early advertisements for the airmail service, VAL traffic reports; correspondence; printed ephemera, including decals, airmail postage, forms, and posters; and samples of assorted airmail forms, such as airgrams, holiday greetings, and blank letterhead. There is also a 22x30-inch United States Postal Air Mail Routes map.

A highlight in the textual materials is a 14x22-inch scrapbook, likely created by Claud V. O'Callaghan. His name is handwritten on the cover of the scrapbook. It holds a large amount of printed ephemera, including route maps, schedules, decals, stamps, correspondence, advertisements, and brochures with captions that provide context and dates. There are also two 8x10-inch black-and-white photographs at the start of the scrapbook. One image depicts United States airmail routes of 1926 with images of VAL Chief Pilot Leon D. Cuddeback and Walter T. Varney superimposed on the map. The other print depicts three men and a CAM Route 5 airmail plane parked in front of a building. The caption states: "Alvin Peterson, Assistant Superintendent, U.S. Air Mail Service; Leon D. Cuddeback, Chief Pilot; Frank B. Bell, Traffic Manager; at Pasco, Washington, 1926."

The visual materials in the collection consists of 40 black-and-white photographs. The photographs depict aircraft and crashes; locations, such as Boise, Idaho; and Pasco and Seattle, Washington; advertisements for air mail service, such as billboards and display windows; and VAL pilots. Identified aircraft include a Boeing 40B and Boeing Model 247. Identified individuals include Senator William Borah and pilots George Buck, Leon D. Cuddeback, Lou Goldsmith, Lionel Kay, Claud V. O'Callaghan, Clarence Price, Joe Taft, and Walter T. Varney. Sizes vary from 3x5-inches to 8x10-inches. Many prints include captions which provide limited contextual information, such as names, dates, and locations.